Through the Looking Glass
by AnimeCookie93
Summary: Post-Movie. Rated M for Cookie's paranoia. I promise my story is better than this piece-of-crap summary!
1. Chapter 1

**Note: **To set the scene: Ed and Al are in London, where Al is studying biology and psychology and Ed is brushing up on his chemistry. The year is 1925, and talk of World War II is still common. I'm not sure if this is historically true or not, but I'm making the drinking/smoking age in England be eighteen, wherein Ed is twenty and Al is fifteen.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Fullmetal Alchemist_, whose manga is sadly coming to a close. My dearest hope is that this idea is sort of original. Inspired by the story of 'Alice in Wonderland', but could be more appropriately titled _Winry in London_.

_Off We Go!_

* * *

_Resembool, 1919_

**Shielded Heart**

She had shouldered so much pain over the last five years alone. From the time she was fifteen, her emotions became clear and she had finally understood her place in her childhood friends' hearts. She was the heart mender, she decided, and she would've always been until the day she died. However, things began to slowly deteriorate the day _he_ left.

The last time she saw Edward Elric, he had dropped from the sky in a mysterious looking flying machine. His hair was splayed around his head, and was still the same golden color she remembered. His eyes were dull and almost emotionless, holding no feeling whatsoever for someone who saw everything he left behind. His cheeks were sunken and his shoulders were broad, and he was about the same size, maybe still barely an inch shorter as her. The last thing she ever heard him say was "Hide somewhere!" before he ran off to fight alongside his brother, Alphonse.

Winry lay awake in her bed in her childhood home, snuggling into the sheets as if they were her lifeline. Beside her was her boyfriend, William O'Keefe, who quite similarly to Ed slept with his stomach exposed. She rolled over to look at him fully: his shirt was tugged up by his right hand, which was flesh-and-bone; his mouth was open, releasing drool, and his chin had a long scar moving across it; when his eyes were open, they were silver with long eyelashes to match; his hair was short and sandy blond, reminding her almost of Alphonse.

His skin was rough to the touch, which countered with her soft skin. She didn't like to snuggle against him unless he was wearing his signature attire, which comprised a black button-up and a pair of jeans. He liked to leave the top buttons unbuttoned to show off the black tufts of hair on his chest, something Winry adored. William was older than her by two years, making him twenty-two and she twenty, but it was as if they were both twenty.

His personality sometimes countered with her own. He was a little shy but was a lot of fun once he got better acquainted with his surroundings. He was soft spoken, and sometimes a little nervous, he was -_much like another man we know_ - a tad argumentative and very possessive and competitive. Nonetheless, she loved him, and him her.

She'd met William only months after the departure of her friends two years ago. He worked at a cafe just south from the church which hid the underground city. Winry decided (more like Sciezka decided...) that she needed to take her mind off of the boys for a while and brought her to said cafe, and ordered her a cup of espresso with a dash of cinnamon. A few more trips later, she and William became friends, and she'd go to the cafe alone. She found a part-time job close to the small cafe and the two talked about absolutely nothing but engineering. It turned out he was a mechanic too.

They dated after that.

The vague memory of their first meeting made her smile, and she turned around to face the opposite wall. On her nightstand under her table lamp were three pictures. The first was when she, Al, and Ed were playing outside. It was close to dusk, and Pinako had surprised the three of them while they were at the fence by the creek. Ed was sitting on the very top wooden bar after many failed attempts, Al was on his right side and seemingly talking to his brother, and Winry was smiling at the camera. She seemed to be the only one paying attention.

The second picture was of Ed with his Military friends: Mustang, Hawkeye, Hughes, Falman, Fuery, Breda, Armstrong, and Sciezka. She, sadly, wasn't in this picture because she was at her boring old house doing boring old mechanical work. He was the only person scowling at the camera, but on the back of the photo was a note from Al

_Figured you'd want a picture before we leave for Liore for the second time. Sorry we couldn't visit this month! Ed- 16 Al-15_

Winry reached out and grabbed the third picture, pulling it closely to her chest. It was of she and Ed before he'd left the first time. His hair was black, and it was after she braided it for him. He was wearing a pair of rounded lens glasses and an old trench coat and hat. Winry had her arm around his shoulders, and he seemed to be scowling at her. A light blush covered his cheeks and nose, and his eyes were glaring at the camera. She closed her eyes and loosened her grip on the picture, a single tear rolling down her flushed cheek.

_London, 1925_

The coolness of the night swept through the London apartment like a summer breeze through a field of wheat. Scattered across the living room floor were books, magazines, and papers, half read through and ripped and dog-eared. The kitchen was small, with wooden counters and marble tops and a table in the corner, fit to seat four. If you traveled down the large hallway that connected the two rooms and went straight, you'd see the study, which had a radio, a desk with more scattered papers, and a man asleep on a less-than-comfortable wooden chair.

His sandy brown hair was matted to his forehead and a pen was carefully resting between his thumb and forefinger. A piece of paper, now stained with sweat and drool, remained still under his body. Apparently, he was writing a letter, because he'd only begun with "_Dear Winry_". He shifts in his sleep, but doesn't jolt awake.

Another man walks into the study, wiping his eyes tiredly with his left hand. His right arm hangs loosely at his side, much like his hair, which hangs loosely at his shoulders. He yawns, stretching still only his left hand and limps to the sleeping boy's body. "Alphonse? Al, get up. Go to bed."

"Nnh" a moan escapes the boy at the desk, and the man slouches and walks closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Don't make me have to carry you. My 'mail isn't working right tonight." He shook his shoulder gently, and the boy came to slowly but surely. "Brother? What time is it?" he gets up and looks around blearily - surely he hadn't fallen asleep writing his letter. He stared at the Coo-Coo clock above his head, which read - _even with his blurry vision_ - 4:18a.m. He looked at his brother, who smiled tiredly, and said, "Right, sorry. Did'n mean t' fall 'sleep," the older brother helped the brother out of the study and went over to turn the light off.

His curious golden eyes roamed the surface of the desk; he was eager to find out what it was the boy was doing so late. He reached over to turn the lamp off, when his eyes stuck on one word.

"_...Winry,"_

He made a surprised noise in his throat and looked at the paper quizzically. Why was he writing to her? She was not even at a letter-sending distance, and he still tried to write it. He looked away, his eyes suddenly sad, and flicked the switch to turn the lamp off. He plodded out, closing the door, and headed back upstairs to his bedroom, taking the piece of paper with him.

* * *

_I'm sorry. I really am, but it just wouldn't leave me alone..._

_This is my take on a 'Alice in Wonderland' plot for Fullmetal Alchemist. You'll see sooner or later. I will update this sporadically, and all I ask is that you review and tell me what you think. Is that too much to ask?_

_Love always,_

_AnimeCookie93_

**P.S.**_ I would like to ask for your attention for a moment: my dear friend Megsaku is deeply ill in the hospital, and I would like to ask you all to send her your prayers and hope she gets better. I'm not sure of her current condition, but I'm sincerely hoping she is alright. So yeahhh. Either pray for her or send her a PM or something to make her day bright. Please and Thank You's! _


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Fullmetal Alchemist_, whose manga is sadly coming to a close. My dearest hope is that this idea is sort of original. Inspired by the story of 'Alice in Wonderland', but could be more appropriately titled _Winry in London_.

Thank you to my reviewers _Kitty-chan3, kogane, (blank reviewer), and Coyco-chan!_ Because of you, the story will go on!

_**Thank you to my beta-reader **Half-HeartedShadow**!**_

* * *

_Resembool, 1919_

**Everybody Hurts**

When the morning sun snuck through the cotton curtains of Winry's bedroom window, the songbirds singing joyously and the noise inside the bedroom caused by her soft snoring overlapped. The strangest sensation woke her up; something that felt like a homogeneous mixture of reunion and remorse. She sat up carefully, clutching at her chest as if she had been frightened, and looked to her left, where an imprint of William's body was in place of where his physical body should be.

Winry got out of bed, stretching both of her arms. The smell of coffee and eggs was strong, most likely her grandmother decided to get up earlier than her for once and cook breakfast. There was idle chatter, something about politics and commitment and heartbreak. From the edge of the bed she plodded to the dresser, pulling out a white tee shirt to slip over her tank top, and continued to walk out of the bedroom and downstairs to find her grandmother and boyfriend at the dining table.

"Good morning," she announced, a large smile on her face, though her eyes were still clouded over with sleep. She looked around; Pinako was at the stove, looking at her with a similar smile of her own, and William was reading the newspaper, while absently petting Den. She walked over and sat beside him, staring at him through the paper. He didn't say a word.

_That's odd,_ Winry thought as she got up to get behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and looking over the bridge of his nose at the news column, _he hasn't even acknowledged I've woken up!_ "What are you reading, honey?" she asked sweetly, and he pushed up his reading glasses. "The news. Nothing else to do..." he looked up and kissed her jaw twice, one after the other, leaving her cheeks pleasantly pink.

"That's enough affection, you two," Pinako snapped comically, "it's time to stuff your mouths with a Rockbell-style breakfast." Winry obliged by sitting to the right of William as her grandmother placed her plate in front of her. She thanked her quietly and dug in. Beside her, William folded the newspaper neatly and gave it to Den, who took it to the living room to put it on the coffee table. What an obedient dog.

Pinako sat down across from Winry, which was on William's left side, and dug into her food.

When Winry finished her breakfast, she decided it was a good time to take a shower before she headed into town. Today was her only day off, and she planned to make the best of it. When she walked into the bathroom, she felt a rush of excitement crash into her, and she looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. She walked over to the tub and started the water for her shower.

She preferred it hotter, quite the contrary with William. This was why they never bathed together -_ she wasn't quite ready for that yet, anyway._ - When the water began to steam over the closed curtain, she began to undress. The tee shirt she slipped over her head slowly, breathing in the scent of it, and she pulled the straps of her nightgown off of her shoulders. It fell with ease. She unclamped the strap of her bra and threw it aside, soon being joined by her lace panties. She then proceeded into the shower.

"This feels so great," she sighed, smoothing the top of her head and pushing her hair back. Her bangs stayed angled to the left, and she reached over and grabbed her Citrus shampoo that her neighbor Nellie sent over, fresh from her parents orchard. A burst of orange and fresh cream filled her nose as she massaged her scalp, releasing a contented moan. She rinsed it thoroughly, making sure to get under her hair and the area behind her ears. Because she had longer hair, she took longer showers.

When she had finished her hair and washing her body with natural soap, she turned the water off and let out a final sigh before opening the curtains, eyes closed. It wasn't until she heard a surprised "Eep!" before she opened her eyes and shrieked. "Will! What are you _doing_? I said I was going to be-"

She was cut off by the feeling of his soft lips on hers and a towel separating her breasts from his toned, tan chest. He pulled away and smiled at her, saying quietly, "Be sure to stay out _extra _late, because I'm cooking you a special dinner tonight, okay?" he winked at her and quietly waved to her as he exited the room, depositing a fresh pair of clothes and another towel for her hair.

She smiled inwardly to herself, she was just so lucky! The townswomen all envied her because she had such a wonderful man like 'Will'. However, they all just couldn't be satisfied, because they knew...

They knew she wasn't _truly_ happy with being happy. With being with William.

Winry quickly dried off just her body and slid on the clean bra Will gave her for their one-year anniversary last year. It was black with lace and sequins, something a little too sexy for her. Nonetheless, she wasn't going to go out into the hallway, go up the stairs, and all the way down the hallway in order to get herself a new one in her room. She slipped on the matching panties, which she did like, and then the gray spaghetti-strap camisole he got out for her. Wearing these things, she walked into her room.

William was always so conservative when it came to her. He got her a tee shirt that barely had a neckline and a pair of jeans to wear out. She liked to wear just a _little_ more skin than that on her neck. She proceeded out of the bathroom in her camisole and underwear, dirty clothes under her left arm, and headed upstairs to find something a little less cover-upy. On the way, she dumped the dirty clothes into the large basin by the bottom of the stairs. Her breasts bounced as she ran up the stairs at a break-neck pace.

She reached her room in two seconds flat, and proceeded inside, where William was putting away some of their clothes. She flushed, seeing him only his boxer shorts and her in a cami and underwear and looked away. "I-I didn't know you were getting changed. Sorry," she proceeded to stand beside him to fish out some clothes.

"I gave you clothes," he sounded offended. She didn't look up.

"It's too hot for something so... 'cover-upy'," - _she took my word _- she partly lied.

He quietly apologized and offered a pair of capris and a V-neck tee shirt with 3/4 sleeves. She took it and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Better," she said sweetly. He smirked while pulling out a button-up for himself to wear.

* * *

_London, 1925_

When Edward woke up, he thought he was going to hurl. Something in the pit of his stomach told him something was off. He looked around, keeping his head on the pillow. He craned his neck to the right first, seeing nothing but the sun shining through the window, and then looked left, where his brother's bed was neatly made. Nope, nothing in here. This 'ok-ed' him to get out of bed himself.

He left the covers turned up; after all, who'd want to make something up when you're just going to get right back in it? That was Ed's logic, anyway. He bound -_more like lazily jogged_- to his dresser to his left and pulled out a pair of brown pants, his white button-up, a brown vest, and the oil canister on top. Pushing in the drawer, he headed out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.

He knocked once, didn't hear an answer, and proceeded into the bathroom to take a much-needed shower.

Running from the law was a lot of work when he actually put in the effort. It was hard being a rebel: defying the 'rules' of pre-war Europe and befriending a Gypsy. Befriending a Jewish movie maker named Fritz Lang _and_ protesting against the current Fuhrer Adolf Hitler. There was more, but not enough for this author to keep her character safe - _Ed's quite the devil, ain't he? _- He washed what little grief he had away from his body, and cursed a few times when he brushed a scar located on his lower abdomen.

Let's just say Ed's been a _bad_ boy...

When the shower was over, Ed proceeded to get dressed and head into the kitchen, catching sight of his brother, Alphonse. Al was sipping a mug of coffee and reading the newspaper, keeping himself occupied while his brother fished out the orange juice from the refrigerator and poured himself half a mug-full. He went to the kitchen table, plopping down beside his brother. "What'cha reading?"

"The economy is depleting," Al said, though it wasn't much of an answer. Ed nodded and took a sip of his juice. "Anything about 'Europe's Most Wanted'?" Al knew he was referring to them, mostly himself though, and looked to the right of the news column. He shook his head and said quietly, "No. You're not important enough for the European public, I guess." He said it with a chuckle, and Ed harrumphed and took another swig of orange juice. He stuck out his tongue in disgust and pushed the juice away, "I think it's expired," he said, which seemed to amuse Al.

"Wouldn't surprise me. All orchards are either closed for the upcoming cooler weather or rotting out. Soon we'll have nothing in the fridge. I'll get more food when I go out, 'kay?" Ed nodded at his brother, and fished out his wallet to hand him some change, "That will buy us some fruit, meat and more milk, seeing as you like it so much." Ed had the same disgusted face again and Al chuckled quietly to himself. Not quietly enough, Al said "Don't make that face, Ed. I sneak milk into your coffee when you aren't looking... how do you think you've gotten taller than me?"

He just barely missed a flying book.

Before Al left for his daily walk through the market and around London, he and Ed met in the living area. Ed had buried his face in a chemistry book and was nestled in his comfy chair by the window while Al took the sofa across from him. The room was small and could only fit comfortably: the sofa, the chair, a fireplace, and a small counter that wrapped around the corner near Ed. There, a radio hummed quietly.

"Brother, I've been meaning to talk to you."

Ed nodded absently for him to continue.

"I... I had a dream the other night that sort of worried me, and I think you should hear it."

Ed nodded again, still absorbed his book. Al sighed and threw a pillow at him. Nothing but a feigned snarl from his brother. "Dream about what?" Ed asked.

One word escaped Al's lips, and it was enough to snap Ed to attention. "Winry."

Ed closed the book and placed it on the counter beside him. He turned the radio down low so he could hear both his brother talk and just how quickly his heartbeat sped up. Al gulped, knowing he had his older brother's undivided attention.

"Well, come on now. Don't keep secrets from your older brother. What about Winry?" Ed's question came out quickly, and if Al hadn't known Ed as much as he did, he would have had him write it down. Not like his chicken scratch would help anything anyway.

Al looked down at his feet, a little nervous. "I... I dreamed... that she came here, and..."

_Same old, same old_ thought Ed sadly, and he got up to sit beside his brother, crossing his right leg over his left. "I'm listening," he said impatiently, and Al continued. "... and she was seriously wounded. She had a scratch on her face, and was a little shaken up. Then, my dream had skipped 'x' amount of time and I was suddenly seeing you through her eyes. You were glaring at her, well me, and saying stuff like 'I have no idea who she is. She's a _bleep-_ing good actress though' and then you walked away_. _Ed, it seemed so real!"

Ed looked at his brother, bemused. "Okay, so how long have you had this dream?"

Al swallowed and got up, ready to go out. He needed to leave soon. "About a month. The last part didn't show until two days ago, though. It was a little strange, Brother. I don't know what to make of it." Ed nodded and got up, patting his brother's shoulder. "Whatever it is, don't worry about it. God is cruel, and is paying you back for our heresy. Don't look much into it, or you might collapse. Just go out and breathe some good old dirty air," he smirked and started to walk away from his brother, until he heard a struggling gasp. He turned around hurriedly and saw Al start to cry. He frowned, and walked out of the room toward the study_._

_Thank you all for your prayers and reviews! I will be getting in touch with Megsaku soon to check up on her. :] Let's continue to pray so I can read her story, okay? :)_

_So far, it's a little angsty, and I can tell you it isn't getting much better. The next chapter isn't as bad, though it sees into Winry's mind just a little bit more. It's mostly in Winry's informal point of view, so bear with me a moment. Keep the reviews coming!_

_~AnimeCookie93_


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: **To set the scene: Ed and Al are in London, where Al is studying biology and psychology and Ed is brushing up on his chemistry. The year is 1925, and talk of World War II is still common. I'm not sure if this is historically true or not, but I'm making the drinking/smoking age in England be eighteen, wherein Ed is twenty and Al is fifteen.

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, whose manga is sadly coming to a close. My dearest hope is that this idea is sort of original. Inspired by the story of 'Alice in Wonderland', but could be more appropriately titled Winry in London._

Thanks to my reviewers _XxSilverXTearsxX _and _ellamariexx_. Because of you, the story shall continue!

_**Thank you to my beta-reader **Half-HeartedShadow**!**_

_

* * *

_

_Resembool, 1919_

**Too Much, Too Soon**

It felt nice for Winry to be out of the house for a while. After having worked all week and not having a lot of time by herself, this was therapeutic. She breathed in the fresh air of the countryside and headed toward town. On the way, she stopped by her friend Nellie's house for some tea and unexciting chatter.

After tea and helping with some chores, Winry continued toward the busy part of the village. Shops were lined up straight down for miles and at the end was the train station. People were going and coming today, because people started to congest the streets. She walked into a supply store for some scrap metal.

The man working today recognized her. "Well looky who it is! It's little Winry Rockbell. How can I help you, Missy?" she smiled at the clerk "Hi, Mr. Sundell. Just give me whatever scrap metal you have in the back so I can start making some plates for my customers. That'll be all, you can charge it to my account!" he nodded and went to the back, the door swinging in her face. He came back out with a box under each arm filled to the rim with scraps, and she smiled. "Wow! This is plenty! I feel bad for taking this, though."

"Are you kidding?" Mr. Sundell said with a large smile on his face, "This is all just extra pieces the government gives us. We haven't lost our stock in fifteen years. We've lost a lot of our customers to Rush Valley. You're the only mechanic in Resembool now."

Winry looked bemused and shocked, "What happened to Mr. Humphrey?"

"Retired," Mr. Sundell rang up the order and handed her a box. He kept one for himself and told her he was going to deliver it, and that no woman, even Winry Rockbell, should have to carry something so heavy. _Try carrying a __burden_she thought sourly, but she smiled and graciously accepted. "You're so good to me, Mr. Sundell. Thanks so much," she headed out with a curt nod and proceeded toward the village square.

She stopped by the grocer to get some fresh fruits and grains, and went to the bakery, where she bought pastries and freshly baked bread. After hours of aimless walking, she decided to head back home. She ran into Nellie again on the way back, who offered to carry one of her many bags of groceries. She obliged kindly and the two talked about work.

"So have you thought about them lately?" Nellie switched the topic. Winry gasped and looked away.

"No, actually. I've been trying to put that on the back burner, because I'm trying to balance out work, love, and, well..."

Nellie offered "Family?" and Winry obliged with a smile. "I haven't tried lately, to be honest," this shocked Nellie "But I do think about them, most of the time before I go to sleep so I don't suddenly get Will jealous (Nellie chuckled nervously here). I remember once, when you came over to play with Ed, Al and me, we'd go to the creek. Al hated being splashed, because he easily got sick from the cold water. (She laughed here). But Ed..." she choked on his name and felt a blush bubble to her cheeks. "...Ed used to run in and try to catch as many as the little fish as he could. He caught one once and gave it to me," she mused, and she caught sight of her house atop the hill. "That was a fun day. Do you remember?"

Nellie nodded. "Yeah. Ed accidentally splashed me and Al when we were chatting by the shore, and he got sick afterwards. Me too," she giggled and offered a warm smile, but Winry didn't take it. They suddenly reached the porch, where William arrived in a small apron and his hair pushed back with gel. Winry made a surprised "Ooh!" and Nellie smiled at her. "Well, I guess that's my cue to high tale it back home. If you don't mind that is," William took the large box of supplies from Winry and put them into her workshop for her. She smirked and took the bag of groceries from Nellie, giving her a hug goodbye. She then proceeded into the house, where she froze on the spot.

William crept up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I convinced Pinako to visit a friend for some poker. That way it's just us tonight," Winry flushed and nodded. "Should I go freshen up?"

William chuckled and walked over to the table. "You look just fine. You won't be wearing it long anyway," he said the last part more to himself than her, and he was thankful she didn't hear it. He put out the works: a fancy white table cloth hung off the edge of the small table, and chrome silverware rested where she and William would be sitting. Something smelled salty from the kitchen, but she trusted that William was a good cook...

"Here we are," William snuck out of the workshop and bent down to kiss her cheek before helping her sit in one of the chairs. She obliged and sat as he bounded into the kitchen to retrieve their dinner. He walked out with a large pot, and he set it down in the middle of the table. He took off the top and she saw the most beautiful stew she'd ever seen and smelled. With one hand, he pulled out a green champagne bottle and opened it, still one handed. The cork popped and flew into the air, did a flip, and landed in Winry's cleavage. She giggled and pulled it out. William blushed and served her some stew.

"I mixed the broth with red wine," he started, and she smiled. "Yum!" he motioned for her to eat, and she did. He then served himself and joined her as he stuffed a piece of beef into his mouth. He chewed and poured her a glass of wine. His sincere shook her from her trance. She swallowed what she had in her mouth and took a sip of the red liquid, "I know I sound like a total knucklehead, but what is all this for, Will?"

He sighed and picked up his napkin, wiping his mouth like a proper gentleman. "Winry," he said sweetly, staring into her deep blue eyes, "Tonight marks our two year anniversary, and I wanted to ask you a question in private." Winry smiled and pushed her chair back so she could look at him fully. "Oh?"

Winry knew exactly what he was going to ask, because of the way he was looking at her. His silver eyes were gentle and alert, as they always had been, but there was something more. Perhaps passion. Winry knew _exactly_ what he was going to ask.

And she wasn't ready yet.

"Winry Rockbell?"

"Yeah?" Winry's heart shattered, because she knew what she was going to say.

"Will you become my wife?"

Winry opened her mouth to say 'no' but something stopped her; she bit her tongue and stood up, gulping every negative thing she could think of, and choked out "I'm sorry, William, but I'm not ready for that yet. I... I'm just... I'm not ready yet. If you can give me more time..."

"Winry, I don't _have_ time!" William snapped, standing up and pounding the table with his fists. Winry stepped back, taken aback he'd yelled at her that way. She began to walk to the door, her head bowed, and said hurriedly, "Why don't you just leave, okay? I think that'll be best; I need to cool off and clean this house before Granny returns."

William looked at her, obviously hurt, but respected her wishes and walked around the table. "I'm... sorry. I didn't mean to rush you, I just-"

"Please, just go." Winry's shoulders sunk, and William reached over to wrap her in his embrace. The moment she stepped away from him and patted the side of his arm was all he needed to note:

_It's over._

Winry closed the door behind her, slowly and cautiously. Why did she do that? _Why_ did she let go of the one person who picked her back up when she had given up? _Why_, in God's very _name_ did she tell him to leave? After the door clicked shut and she locked it slowly and shakily, she banged the back of her head lightly on the door and slid down, wrapping her arms around her knees as she dragged them closer to her chest. Damn it...

"Damn it..." she whispered to herself, knocking on her cranium. "Apparently, when Ed and Al left, so did my total comfort. Why, though?" she inquired, picking her head up. Then, a thought struck her: she'd been cooped up in this house for too long. It had been years since she traveled abroad. She needed to leave, to go out and meet other people, not saying the Resembool-ians weren't fun or entertaining. They were just... she knew everyone.

Give her an _adventure_!

* * *

_London, 1925_

Alphonse knew all he had to do was think.

After hearing his brother go into the study, Al left for his nightly walk through the London Marketplace. Merchants from around England and southern parts of Europe met once a year to sell their freshest meats, dairy products, fruits and other crops on the very street Al walked on. He took advantage of the situation and did some hefty shopping.

"I'll take some of these apples please, ma'am," he said cheerily as he stopped at the fruit stand. He also pointed to some oranges and grapes, and he was handed a small basket. He gave her the required amount of money and made his way through the rest of the market. He didn't see any other vendors today, which was odd.

_That dream I had_ Al thought while he stopped at a meat grocer. The man in charge was large and muscular and reminded him of Sig Curtis. His name, familiar enough, was Signer. _It seemed so real. It can't be __**just**__ a dream, can it?_ While contemplating the rest of his peculiar dream, something caught his eye in the far left of the streets. It appeared to be an alleyway, and deep into it a flash of blue light fizzed and cracked. Al gasped and walked toward the alley, where ironically enough a payphone stood, unused.

He rolled the dial over the numbers of his and his brother's apartment.

"_'Yello?_" the usual greeting of Ed.

"Brother! I... I just saw al... Al...

"_Spit it out, Al! You saw...?_"

"Alchemy! I just saw _alchemy!"_

The phone went dead, and Al hung up just as quickly. He sighed and fell to his bottom. What was going on?

* * *

_Now, this is the chapter I think moved a little too quickly. At least, the next few don't... I've written up to the reunion which is sooner than expected. Please tell me how this chapter went, okay?_

_Arigato!_

_~Cookie_

_**PS **To those who were wondering: My friend, Megsaku (she is an authoress on this site, if you did recognize the name) is doing much better thanks to your prayers! I was texting her Friday afternoon (6/11) and she was doing flawlessly! Gah, I shall glomp her via FFnet when I hear of her return. xD_


	4. Chapter 4

_Resembool, 1919_

**Goodbye**

"I'm tellin' ya," Pinako said, pulling on her velvet jacket and buttoning the front. She sighed and looked at her poker friends Nan and Rosalee. "I won that fair and square; everyone knows a straight-flush beats a normal straight _and_ a normal flush!"

Rosalee, who had short pink hair, large spectacles, and used a cane to get around said slowly, "Of course, Pinako. However, we weren't playing fairly in the first place. Remember? Besides, you're one to talk, you old crone," she poked fun at Pinako who smiled in return, "you've cheated us all out of our own clothes."

Pinako beamed and clutched her bag of goodies to her chest. "You're right."

She left after that, waving to her friends and pulling the collar of her jacket closer to her face. It sure was suspiciously chilly tonight, she noted, and she walked in the direction of her house. As she neared the bottom of the hill where only the roof of her yellow house could be seen, she saw William walking down the hill with a displeased line plastered on his face. She 'humphed' as they got closer.

"Shouldn't you be at home, boy?" she asked tentatively.

"I'm headed there now. Back to Central." He snapped back at her out of reflex, and she narrowed her eyes at him. She knew when it came to pig-headed young adults, it'd be best if she would just shake it off. The old woman snorted. "Have a safe trip. Call me when you get home so I know you won't kill yourself."

"Yup."

_divider_thingy_

After William left and she had her miniature break down, Winry thought it best that she leave. She stood up and regained her composure. When she was sure she was breathing at a steady pace, she galloped through the kitchen and toward the stairs, where her bedroom was waiting with a large leather suitcase on her bed.

She threw almost everything that was in her dresser into the suitcases, which comprised camisoles, shorts, a few pairs of _sexy_ panties, some jeans, skirts, and a dress or two. Finally, she walked over to her bedside table and put in the two pictures that were above it. She reached over and grabbed the picture of Ed, sliding the actual photograph out of the glass cover and folding it, sliding it into her jeans pocket. She walked over to the closet to pull out Ed's red jacket, and she walked back over to her suitcase.

"I'm sure, wherever I'm going," she said, lost in thought, "has some sort of shampoo and wash, so I won't bring those. However..." she grabbed the suitcase - _which wasn't as heavy as she thought it was_ - and carried it downstairs to place it on the kitchen table. She then proceeded into her workshop to grab her most trusted sidekick: her wrench. Ed had given it to her years before...

Her cheeks became pink almost instantly.

"I think that's it," she said to herself, then she looked to the clock. It was nearly eight in the evening, and she'd be damned if she left after she saw her grandmother. Without a moment's hesitation, she picked up her suitcase and tugged on her jacket before headed out of the door, the chilly night breeze kissing her cheeks as she walked through it with a look of determination in her eyes.

_There's got to be something exciting outside of the country,_ she thought to herself as she headed into town.

_another_divider_thingy_

Winry proceeded into town like she had important business at the Train Station, which was straight ahead if she continued on her route. She kept repeating to herself constantly that she wasn't going to turn back, that she was going to go through with her journey to who knows where. However, she heard a woman scream down an alleyway between the local bakery and the hardware shop and she wasn't sure who told her feet to run to that spot. A figure was hunched over, scribbling something into the dirt. Winry dropped her suitcase and ran over, her medical instincts taking over.

"Excuse me, are you alright? Here let me- whoa!" before Winry could finish her statement, she saw the figure press its hands on the scribbles. Winry fell over, tripping on her own feet, and got a good look of what the woman had drawn: a transmutation circle. A gasp escaped her, one loud enough to make the pipes running in the alleyway to vibrate burst above her from the sound waves, and both she and the woman were enveloped in white alchemical light.

And while Winry was broken down, atom by atom and compound by compound, she was swept into the depths of unconsciousness when her body collided with cold concrete.

* * *

_London, 1925_

Ed arrived moments after Al's phone call. He was in the process of folding up his reading glasses and putting them in his pocket, when he heard a scream come from the alley. Ed keeled over, gasping for breath, but Al ran right to it. He tugged on something in his pocket, which Ed distinguished as a small pistol, and they both heard a 'Thud!'

Al looked over the corner to investigate, only to see a figure covered in sludge and blood. It seemed to be a woman, by the way her body was shaped, and Al ran over immediately. "Miss, my name is Alphonse Heidrich, and I'm going to bring you to my apartment, okay?"

The woman made no response, as she had been knocked out from the fall, and Al shrugged off his jacket. Suddenly, rain clouds ran to the top of the alleyway and released rain. _Great, just great_ Al thought as he heard his brother limping down, panting. "Damn it. My arm and chest are killing me!"

Al wrapped the woman in his jacket and lifted her up, careful not to jolt her or shake her too much from fear of hurting or scaring her. After all, Al wasn't the kind to scare anyone, especially a woman. Ed watched precariously as Al walked past and said quite calmly, "Well, don't just _stand _there! Call a taxi to take us home!"

Ed obeyed, clutching his heart with his auto-mail hand as if _she_ was here...

* * *

_Thank you everyone for their support with this fic. And your patience... hehe *rubs neck nervously*_

_How would you all like another fic? ^^_U _Yeah, no. Not yet. This must be finished first. But the prologue is pretty cool so far! XD_

_Please review and tell me how I did!_

**Beta'ed by **_Half-Hearted Shadow_.


	5. Chapter 5

_London, 1925_

_**Awakening**_

Ed hadn't the slightest idea when he, his brother, and the woman came home, but he knew it was either late night or early morning because it was dark outside. Al had taken the woman to his bedroom and had been in there now for almost an hour, helping the woman.

Ed went into the kitchen to fish out a small basin which would supply water. Al told him that _he_, not Al who happened to be in medical school -_ for my sake, he's home for the summer _-, had to wash off the woman's face, arms, and legs. "I'm sure she wouldn't want you touching anything more" said Al after Ed flustered at even the suggestion of touching a woman.

_God_ he hated his brother sometimes...

"Okay, basin, water..." he listed off the things while the container filled with relatively warm water, and he grabbed a cloth from the drawer beside the sink. Once he was sure he had what he needed, he walked slowly and carefully toward his brothers bedroom, which was upstairs. The bottom of the stairs looked relatively farther from the top now that he had an object of important reason in his hand, and he took the first step slowly, then the second and third. When he finally made it to the top, he saw Al walk out of his bedroom.

"Brother, I did a little pre-cleaning while you were taking your sweet time downstairs, and guess..."

"Look, I wanted to make sure I did something right..."

Al blinked at him, and continued, "Guess who the woman is?"

Ed swallowed and rolled his eyes. "Al, if you tell me it's 'Winry' from your dream, I swear I'm gonna..."

"Gonna what?"

Ed's throat twisted and his chest once again was on fire. Oh my... he knew that voice. He _fucking_ knew that voice, and thought he'd never hear it again. Why the... What the fuck... He first looked at his brother, and then the woman standing at the edge of the doorway. Ed gulped, and hard.

"Ed..." Al looked at his brother, his eyes a mix between scared and excited. Either way, his eyes were wide. Ed looked at his brother, and whispered, "Al. Why is she-"

"I don't know," Al interrupted, and the two looked back at the woman, who had started toward them. Al went to her hurriedly, and asked "W-Winry?" He wasn't sure if he believed if it was really his childhood friend from another _world_, and he reached his hand up to brush some hair from her face. She smiled at him, and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Heidrich. I told you, my name is Winry Rockbell."

Ed did a double take. "Wait, are you from... Amestris?"

Winry seemed surprised at his question, and she nodded slowly. "Yes, I grew up in a country called Resembool with my gran- oof!" Before she could continue, Al had closed in on her and trapped her in a friendly hug. Winry blinked, and asked, "Um... what're you doing?"

"Winry? It's me, Alphonse Elric! You're here, in that other world I told you about!" Al was crying now, but smiling, something Ed loved to see. However, he wasn't all too focused on his brother anymore as realization hit Winry and made her squeeze his body. "Oh Al! I... Oh my God!" she started to cry as well, and she kissed his chin. Al flushed, hugging her more. The hug was broken when they heard water swish and the basin fall down the stairs. Al released the blonde and let her look at him. Ed looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Winry..." at first it sounded sweet, and she nodded with tears in her eyes. She walked toward him, ready to hug him too, but he started to walk away. Winry looked hurt, and cried, "Where're you going? I... I missed you, Ed!" her statement flew toward him and smacked him in the face, and he said quickly, "Come with me, idiot." She obeyed and followed him into his bedroom.

She looked around at the many book cases and the desk covered with papers and scattered pictures. Winry hadn't seen him so disorganized in his life. On his nightstand was a bottle of something she couldn't make out, and she walked closer. However, her thought was broken when she crashed into the warm chest of her childhood friend. She craned her neck upward, locking her deep blue eyes into his golden brown ones, and she started to cry again. He wrapped his arms around her, holding the middle of her back, and whispered, "I don't know how you got here, but I'm so glad you are."

His confession shocked her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She was surprised she had to stand on her tip toes in order to rest her chin in the crook of his neck, and when she did it sent shivers down her spine. She whispered his name into his neck, and he sighed through his nose. Suddenly, his knee gave in and they tumbled toward the floor. Ed completely turned around so it was his back that took most of the fall, and he groaned after colliding with the floor.

However, his lips also collided with a pair of softer lips.

Neither Ed nor Winry broke the kiss right away. It wasn't even really a kiss; they kept their lips pressed against each other, but made no action further defining it as such. Winry tugged away, flushed, but kept her eyes locked with his. "Ed, I..."

She was interrupted when a pair of lips collided with hers in a sweet, chaste kiss.

* * *

Al felt awkward having to go upstairs into his brothers room to tell him it was time for supper. They'd been up here for hours, and most likely in the condition he'd left them in: kissing. He tiptoed up the steps and turned the corner to be facing Ed's door, and he knocked quietly. Suddenly, Ed answered the door completely casually. Al peeked in, and said cheerily, "Hey, you two! Dinner's ready, ya know."

"Okay, Al, we were just talking," Winry said from Ed's bed, cheeks flushed. Al looked at Ed, who was a little flushed himself, but seemed calmer. Al walked in calmly and Ed closed the door, resuming conversation.

"So. Mr. Humphrey retired, did he? That old geezer should've retired years ago!" Ed hit his knee, laughing cheerily. Winry smiled, and looked at Al to fill him in. "Mr. Humphrey was a former auto-mail engineer who lived at the more southern end of Resembool. He retired this year, leaving me with all of his customers. It feels so awesome to finally have customers outside of Ed!" she smirked and tapped his thigh as he guffawed. Al chuckled to himself.

The three friends had never felt so close. After all, they hadn't seen each other, not including the brief moment in the underground city in Central, since shortly after Ed's sixteenth birthday. Ed stared at Winry's smile; it made his heart flutter to see her this happy. He couldn't help but ask the next question, hoping for an honest answer.

"Winry?"

"Hm?" her laughter died down to look at him, wiping a happy tear away from her eyes. She smiled at him, which faded after seeing his serious face. She looked at him strangely. "What is it, Edward?"

"Did... did you wait for me?"

_Damn it..._

So, I know it's been a while. I'm sorry about that. *bows* I've just been so busy, and my computer broke... I'm lucky to even be using it right now... the internet keeps fading in and out *sigh*. Well, Chapters 6 and 7 will be up sometime this week, hopefully. I edited it myself this time, so please (politely) point out any errors I might have missed. I sort of... _skimmed_ it. Hehe.

Reviews are loved and greatly appreciated!

_Cookie_


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: **To set the scene: Ed and Al are in London, where Al is studying biology and psychology and Ed is brushing up on his chemistry. The year is 1925, and talk of World War II is still common. I'm not sure if this is historically true or not, but I'm making the drinking/smoking age in England be eighteen, wherein Ed is twenty and Al is fifteen.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Fullmetal Alchemist_, whose manga and two animes are sadly over. My dearest hope is that this idea is sort of original. Inspired by the story of 'Alice in Wonderland', but could be more appropriately titled _Winry in London_.

Thank you to my reviewers _XxSilverXTearsxX _and _sashimigirl92_. Thanks to you, this story continues!

(Again, I forgot to send this to my wonderful beta, **Half-HeartedShadow**, so please point out any errors and stuff...)

_Off We Go!_

* * *

_London, 1925_

**Confessions**

"Winry?"

"Hm? What is it, Edward?"

"Did... did you wait for me?"

Winry's eyes widened and they shot for the floor. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him about William, and how she was so happy. She just hadn't pictured herself being happy without him. She looked up again, and said honestly and sadly, "No. I couldn't, Ed."

Ed looked hurt, and Al knew this wasn't his conversation anymore. "I'll go eat alone for a while," he said it confidently, as if he was truly going to go, and he got up and left the bedroom. Ed watched him, then moved his head in Winry's direction. Winry bit her lip. "I didn't, Ed, and now let me explain."

Normally, Ed would have cut her off and been an impatient fifteen year old again, but he'd grown up the past two years, plus the two prior. That's _four_ years of not being able to stare into her blue eyes. It took all of him not to snap at her and groan. "I'm listening, Winry," he said as calmly as he possibly could.

Winry began to tell him of William and their different and similar traits. She told him of William's jealousy whenever she spoke highly of either he or Al and how competitively possessive he was with Winry. Ed laughed. Winry then proceeded to tell him of how he tried to propose, and Ed didn't let her go on. He was frowning.

"You're a sadist, Winry." He said with a sad smile, and Winry blinked at him.

"No I'm not. I was explaining myself to you," she seemed to be too defensive for her own good. Ed took note of it, and asked quietly, "So... what did you say?"

Winry looked at him, blinking like a fool. "What did I say to his proposal?" Ed nodded "I said no. I'm just not ready for something like that." Ed seemed to be relieved, but in a way sadder than before. She poked his chest playfully. "Why are you interrogating me, Edward?"

Though Ed blushed at her question, he replied quickly, "Just wondering, Winry."

She got up, stretching her body and staring at his clock. "Well, I don't want to disappoint the second most important man in my life," she flushed, but Ed was oblivious to the remark as he stood up too "so I'm going to go have some dinner. You coming?"

Ed looked around lazily, and locked eyes with her for a second before walking to his dresser. "I'm going to shower first. Then I'll come down." She nodded and left his room, leaving him to his thoughts. "Why," Ed thought aloud while he watched her trot down the stairs happily "must she be so irresistible to me?"

Winry made it a goal to redecorate the walls of the small apartment the boys shared. It was on the first floor, so they had to deal with noisy people living above them, and they were the closest to the front door. _More susceptible to being robbed_ Winry noted, and she trotted inside the kitchen, where Al was eating some steak and potatoes. "Hey, Winry!" he greeted her with a friendly nod.

"Al, I still can't believe I'm here with you two," she said quickly, and she sat beside him. He swallowed his steak and smiled a toothy smile at her. "I can't either. Though I'm fairly interested in how you got here in the first place..."

Winry held up a hand to stop him. "That's enough about me, silly. I want to hear about _you_. What have you boys been up to? Hopefully staying out of trouble." The fact that Al closed his mouth immediately after starting to protest indicated they, or at least his _older brother_, was getting into trouble. _Again_. She looked at him quizzically and asked slowly, "What have you done now, Alphonse?"

Al knew he was never called his full first name unless he was in for a wrench upside the head. He flinched "Now, Winry. No need to pull out your wrench, okay? _I_ haven't done anything. You know me; my conscience is clean, I swear! Now, when it comes to Brother..."

"There you go _again_, Al, trying to sell me out," Ed joked, his golden hair resting at his shoulders and his chest bare. He _was_ wearing a pair of flannel pajama bottoms, but that didn't stop Winry from tracing his chest with her eyes. He had scars all over his upper body, and scratches up and down his neck. It was as if someone was trying to claw at his face, but couldn't reach -_ironic, no?_- Winry pushed her and her chair away from the table and walked to the front of him. He made a surprised noise in his throat, but didn't stop her from looking.

She needed to see.

"Ed, what happened to you? You have scratches and scars all over your... Oh my God!" under his ear was a burn that looked as if he was dangerously close to a fire. She reached up, almost touching his face, but pulled her hand away. Ed sighed, rolled his eyes as if irritated, and grabbed her hand so he could rub it against the tender skin. They hissed together, but he didn't let her pull her hand away again.

"Edward... what-"

Ed raised his hand to interrupt her and he sat down beside his brother. He ended the conversation with "I played with fire and got a little burned," and began to eat his dinner. Winry exhaled sharply, a long sigh she'd been keeping in, and she felt her eyes sting. She closed them and walked around the table to sit beside him.

After dinner, the trio sat in the living area, discussing everything they could as well as avoiding the reason Ed's body was scratched to hell. Winry was assured by Al that they hadn't been in too much trouble recently, and that they weren't doing anything that would get them all killed. However, Ed was quick to drop that conversation and start off with one of his own.

"So," Ed said crossing his left leg over his right with a creak, "What has Amestris been like without Al and me?"

Winry sipped her cup of peppermint tea - _1 - _and stared into it, making golden ripples with her breath. "Amestris has been reshaped. There was no guarantee that it would be done after you boys left the second time, but with the help of some people from Liore and Rush Valley we've been able to reshape the government, not just the people."

Al nodded and Ed sniffled. "Oh! Here's something you didn't know!" Al nodded with a smirk on his face, "Ishbal has become a place to study medicine. Universities and institutes were built there so we can get more doctors, considering we only have the one hospital now. The underground city hasn't been touched since Sciezka and I left Central. I haven't been there since, actually."

"Not even to visit Gracia and Elicia Hughes?" Al asked with a frown, and Winry smiled at him before staring into her tea again. "We talked, sure. I haven't seen Gracia in a couple years, as you two haven't, because there was just too much going on. I hadn't the time, with the shop and William and..."

"William?" Ed asked squeakily, and Al looked at his brother as if to hush him. "William's that boyfriend, right? What does he do?" Winry's cheeks tinged pink. "Will was a mechanic like me, and was a really sweet guy. But, as I told you before," she looked at Al, who smiled his brothers trademark grin, and said "I wasn't ready for anything like that with someone so dangerously similar to me."

_I know the feeling_ Al said with a goofy smile as he remembered the day he proposed to Winry, but she declined because he was too young for her.

_Don't that sound familiar? _Ed thought as he remembered being turned down by Winry because he was too short. He flinched at his own memory.

Winry blinked as the boys seemed to enter a state of depression, a cloud of dark blue and gloom over their heads. What was their problem, anyway?

* * *

_So, I apologize for the wait and stuff... I really hope you guys liked this chapter, because it's going to take a while to update. Next time, I'll have my beta take a look at it, just 'cause... Please review and let me know what you think! _

_~Cookie_


	7. Chapter 7

_This is the chapter o' fluff you all have probably been waiting for, I assure you. It's also what I'm the best at writing, those and the really dramatic scenes where Winry acts all quiet when sad and stuff... GAH! That was sort of a spoiler, but not enough of one to hint at what happens soon. _

Thank you to my reviewer, _XxSilverXTearsxX_. Thanks to you, sister, the story will go on! (Phew!)

Thank you to my beta-reader, **Half-Hearted Shadow**!

_Off We Go!_

_London, 1925_

**Late Night Confessions**

"I have to _what_!" Winry screeched in the thin night air, clutching the bedroom sheets as she glared at the youngest Elric. Al scratched behind his head nervously, and repeated what he'd told her. "Winry, I'm sorry. You have to start wearing dresses and garters and stockings. Women in this world are accustomed to wearing that. I promise we'll buy you whatever tools you want for when we bring you home..."

"You're _not_ bringing me home, Alphonse," Winry snapped. Al gulped, swallowing whatever words he could think of that would tell her otherwise. There was just no fighting with a Rockbell. "Okay then. Tomorrow I'm going to work at the library and Ed is probably going to be at the bar. You can roam around London if you want, maybe go shopping on your own. We'll leave you a little bit of money, but after Brother gets back he's taking you shopping for some women's clothes and we'll meet at the diner down the street. Is that okay?"

Winry nodded and Al sighed. "Good then. I'm not sure if I'll see you tomorrow morning, but here's my sorry ahead of time," he walked over and gave her a peck on the cheek. She smiled and said sweetly, "Goodnight Al." He mumbled a goodnight before leaving. Winry smiled cheekily before getting comfortable in her own bed.

Partway through the night, Winry woke up. Nothing was on her mind specifically, unless you counted a certain golden blond sleeping in the next room over. Other than him, no, nothing on her mind. She stared at the ceiling as if engraved in it was the greatest secret to auto-mail, and mumbled to herself, "How _did_ I get here anyway?" she thought back as hard as she could, but realized she'd lost that part of her memory. First, she remembered seeing the blue light, then a person in an alley, and then Al picking her up. Had he been in the alley? No, that would mean they'd be in Resembool right now... oh no.

She forgot to tell her grandmother she was leaving!

_Stupid girl!_ Winry thought to herself, reaching up as if to reach for the ceiling. She sat up, bringing her knees closer to herself; she whispered into her thigh "Granny's gunna' be so upset when she sees I'm gone. God, I'm so _stupid_!"

The blond slipped out from bed in a pair of Al's boxer shorts and a camisole. She walked over to the window and placed her hand on it, staring at the stars. More like lack of them, due to the smog acting as a blanket over the city of London. She glanced at the streets and saw a rise of smoke from a room right next to hers. She opened the window and saw Ed smoking a cigar out the window.

"That's bad for your health you know," she said matter-of-factly as she looked at him with a smile. He looked over at her, blond hair loose at his shoulders, and he said, leaning on his left palm. "So is stress. I think I'll live; I'm worth more dead than alive anyway."

"Edward Van Elric, don't _say _that!" Winry pleaded, her eyes shining in the silver-white moonlight. "You might be trouble, but you mean so much to us! To me, and your brother!" he scoffed in her direction and took another drag before flicking it onto the streets. He watched it burn. "I appreciate your concern, Winry, but I don't think it's any of your business anyway. I'm _wanted_ for fuck's sake!" she glared at him for using the f-word and said "You're wanted by your brother and me as well! Ed, why don't you see that?" she slammed her window shut, hearing a distinct whine of "Aw, c'mon, Winry!" She stomped over to her bed and punched her pillow, releasing tears. Why couldn't he see that he meant the entire _world _to her and his own brother?

Winry climbed into the bed, huffing and wiping her tears from her cheeks. She closed her eyes, squeezed them to keep her useless tears in, and pursed her lips. She bit her lip. "I'm not going to cry anymore. I'm a big girl. Granny would be..." she broke into another fit of tears at the mention of her lonely grandmother. That is, until she heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, not bothering to disguise her voice. A quiet "It's Ed. Open up Winry," answered, and she slipped out of bed. Before reaching the door, she looked in the mirror to fix herself up; at least her hair and nightgown. She took a steady breath before clutching the doorknob, opening it slightly. Ed greeted her with a smile on the other side, and she huffed. "What do you want?"

Ed sensed the hurt in her tone but didn't let his smile fade, as much as he wanted to let it. "I came to see if you were alright and..." he looked away from her, a very light, beginning of a blush bubbling onto his cheeks "...to say I'm sorry." Winry smirked at him and moved aside, her tears dripping over her lips as they sprinkled the floor, and he walked in. She closed the door behind him.

The next few minutes involved crying, laughing, touching hands, and very red cheeks.

"Why do you think you're worth more dead than alive, Ed?" Winry said quietly, staring at his hands that were crossed over his legs. He sniffed, breathing in the smell of her hair as it hung in her room, and he said just as quietly, "Because, I am. I've been wanted by the European government for about two years now. I befriended a gypsy named Noah who was looked down upon. I made friends and still am with a Jewish movie maker named Lang who helps me and Al any way he can." Winry looked at him, his eyes burning in their golden blaze and she blinked at him. "That doesn't mean anything, Ed. Just because you're wanted for such a stupid reason..."

"Oh, I'm not done," Ed mused, uncrossing his arms and putting them on either side of his body. "I rebel against the German president. It's like Mustang with the former Fuhrer." Winry nodded and smiled, pulling her legs to her chest. "And now I'm done." He finished with a smirk. Winry looked at him with the same intensity he showed her, and she said quietly, "You mean more to me alive than dead, you idiot."

He looked at her and smiled. "You're just saying that, Winry."

She glared at him. "Am not! You and I have been friends since we were little kids-"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE CAN BE CRUSHED BY THE MOLECULES OF A FLEA'S LEG!" he shouted, and Winry burst into laughter. Ed calmed and asked, "The hell are you laughing at, Winry?" he couldn't contain his own giggles as hers died down, and she said with a sweet, loving smile

"You, you idiot. And you know what?"

"What?" Ed's cheeks tinged pink in irritation, puffing out his cheeks. Winry giggled at him.

"That's one of the reasons I love you; you always make me laugh when I'm feeling sad."

Ed raised an eyebrow at her, his face becoming red with flattery. "Oh really? Well, one of the reasons I love _you _is your obsession with _machines_!" he smirked at her, she to him, and she said simply, "It wasn't an obsession, knuckle head, until I saw you wearing _my_ auto-mail." His smirk was a full-fledged smile, teeth and all, and he leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. "G'night, auto-mail junkie."

She smiled as he walked away, and she mumbled, "Night, alchemy freak."

When morning came, Winry didn't want to get out of bed for fear of losing her very precious dream last night. Was it even a dream? She could've _sworn_ the Ed she knew would never admit to something so _secretive_ as him loving her, but she remembered what he said so clearly.

_"One of the reasons I love __you__ is your obsession with __machines__!"_

She rolled out of bed, stretching her long muscular arms and legs. She headed downstairs into the kitchen, where she could hear Ed on the phone with someone he called "Mabuse". She hid behind the wall to listen, as she was always good at those spy games Ed and Al used to play when they were little kids.

"Mabuse, I'm telling you. I don't think it's a good idea to... uh huh... yeah, she's from... yeah... she could be in danger- what the hell is _that _supposed to me-... oh... uh huh... right... yeah, I'll see you in a few," he hung up the phone and, pouring a cup of coffee for himself and another, called softly, "I know you're there, Winry. Come on."

She snapped her fingers and swung her arms out to hug his torso. He chuckled, almost spilling the coffee on the counter, and said "You're bad at hiding you know. I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got something to do. \I'd give you a kiss or something, but I'm running late and have to meet with a friend of mine. Plus, I'm not good at affection-"

He was cut off by the feeling of her soft lips on his, and she pulled away. "Get outta here, dummy. I'll be fine by myself for a little while. I'll go for a walk or something." He smirked at her, and said "Right. See you," and he left, sipping his coffee. He tasted good...

"Enough fantasies, Winry Rockbell!" she announced to herself as she started picking up the kitchen. "You've got a mission: Operation "Clean the House" is in effect!" she started wiping off the counters with a cloth that was resting in the sink, and the grabbed Ed's plate that was left on the table. When the kitchen sparkled, she went into the living area to finish the cleaning before the boys returned to take her shopping.

She had _so_ much to do before they came back...

* * *

_Okay then. I know it has been a while, nyeh? No, probably not as long as it could've been. Well, I hope you all liked this, because the next chap is a little... I dunno. Edgy. And there's a cliffy, too. :D_

_I apologize if the format is stupid. Format on Fanfiction is stupid. (But the site itself is the best creation since Fire). _

_As always, I kindly ask and suggest you review if you want the next chapter up soon! All I ask is a '_Hello, I liked your story likeohemgeez_' or maybe some C.C? (Constructive Criticism. I'll use the abbrev. from now on. XD)_

_Love and Luck!_

_~Cookie_


	8. Chapter 8

_Oh dear. This is a really late update, no? Well, I hope it's not too horrible. It's my shortest chapter... ._

**Disclaimer: **Applies here.

_

* * *

London, 1925_

**The Snitch**

Ed was sure there was something wrong with him this morning. The scene of he and Winry the night before played over and over again in his mind, the phrase "_I've loved you_" echoing in his nearly empty head. - _it's a joke, kids _-. When he'd left that morning, all he could think about was the feeling of his lips on his, and how he, Edward Van Elric, _liked_ it. Damn...

When Al and he 'closed the Gate', he owed his brother 500 cens.

His destination, the bar, came into view shortly after the sorrowful thought, and he picked up his pace. He didn't, after all, want to leave his only resource waiting on him for _too_ long.

"Ah, Edward! How nice of you to join me!" Fritz Land greeted, waving the man over with a large grin. Ed walked over with a curt wave and sat down beside him at the bar. The bartender, a woman with short red hair and a skintight uniform, was cleaning a glass with a dirty rag, and she looked at Ed suggestively. "What'll it be, hon?"

"Scotch, is fine." Ed said, giving her a nod that obviously said 'I'm taken' and she marched over to the cupboard to pull out the liquid he knew his brother hated. That's why it was _his_ favorite drink. When the drink was given to him with a sweet smile and a click of the tongue, Ed and Fritz got down to business.

"I know you didn't call me down here to get me away from my best friend," said Ed, sipping the beverage and feeling it burn on the way down his throat. Lang sipped his beer that had been previously given to him, and he said, "You're right. Your quite observant this morning (Ed scoffed). There's been a, a-_hem_" he leaned in, Ed following his actions, and said quiet enough for only the blond to hear "_snitch_ running around, telling the Fuhrer that we've plotted against him. He's sending one of his officers to find you and your brother and anyone who stands in his way." Ed glared at him, his upper lip pouting, and he whispered "Who's the bastard? I'll tear him to shreds!"

Fritz leaned away, closing his eyes as he took another swig of his beer. Ed pounded his fist on the table and bellowed as quietly as humanly possible for the elder Elric "Damn it, Lang, who snitched!" The older man opened his eyes, focusing on a single bottle of champagne on the shelf.

"Officer Hughes." He said, sipping his beer. Ed guffawed and looked at the floor.

"Damn it..."

Not many people had visited the library today, which made Al's job there all the more easier. There wasn't much to do besides inventory and stacking and alphabetizing all of the books in the second and third sectors, so he was let out for lunch early, because knowing London people were going to be studying after their lunch breaks. Lucky Al.

"See you in an hour, Mr. Davids!" called Al as he left the library with his satchel over his shoulder. He fished it out and pulled out a coin, just as he came face-to-steel with the payphone. He rubbed his sore nose, and cursed quietly under his breath. "Gotta call Winry and Brother to set the meeting time..."

"Al! Damn it, Alphonse!"

Al turned at the sound of his name to see Ed running toward him. He smiled at him, waving him over, but frowned when he saw the scared expression on his face. He hadn't seen that since the night in Central when he fought with Barry the Chopper. Except this time, Winry wasn't with him.

"Brother! I was just going to call you and Winry! Are you ready for-"

"There's no time for that!" Ed cut him off, gasping from running from the pub all the way to the library -_ pretend it's far, okay? _- and Al stepped back to give his brother space to breathe. "What do you _mean_ there's no time for eating? There's always time for..."

Ed looked at his brother with a mixture of a death glare and a fearful blunder. "Al, we're in trouble. We don't have time because we need to leave town _now_!"

The brothers, without much word being said, ran in the direction of their apartment in hopes that Winry was still there.

Winry hadn't been wandering around the town for long, because she hadn't heard the clock chime again. She figured she'd only been outside for only ten, fifteen minutes, and she was already bored stiff. She knew that London was a foreign town, but so much of it felt like home. She pushed a lock of lemon-blonde hair from her face and behind her ear, and said to herself "Where can I go?"

_"Winry!"_

She turned to see Al and Ed scrambling toward her with worried expressions. She smiled to greet them, but Ed grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward the direction of their apartment, where she'd just been. Winry had little time to protest when she heard a gunshot rip through the humid early-afternoon air.

* * *

_Oh dear god... another cliff-hanger. I'm just dishing those out, aren't I? And not enough updates for your liking, I suppose..._

_The only reason I'm updating so late is because of school. I do really love you all and thank you thus far. Please review! Next chapter will be ready soon, hopefully..._

_Thank you to my beta-reader, _**Half-Hearted Shadow**_. Without you, my errors would go unnoticed and I'd go back to kindergarten ;)_

_Tons of love and cookies and stuff! And... reviews?  
_

_~Cookie  
_


	9. Chapter 9

_London, 1925_

**Raymond Palomino**

Winry had little time to protest when she heard a gunshot rip through the humid early-afternoon air. She looked around, trying to find where it had gone, and she suddenly looked over at Ed to see his eyes widen. "A-Alphonse...?"

Ed watched as his brother fell to the ground with a deep thud. His face squished together, and his determined frown turned into a murderous sneer, and he fell to his brother's side. "Al. No, you idiot, you can't die! I didn't sacrifice everything I had to lose you a second time! Alphonse Nicholas, _answer me_!" Ed had become hysterical by this point, and Winry fell to his side. "Al! _Al!_"

A man came up behind the trio, and Winry turned around to see who it was. A man was dressed in a black police uniform and in a black cap. Beside him, was a woman with hazel eyes and blonde hair pulled into a bun. She was the one who fired the gun, Winry could tell, because she had finished putting a pistol in its holder when she approached. Winry's mouth dropped and she felt something hit the back of her head, something she assumed was a paddle.

When Ed woke up, his head was spinning. He felt like he'd drunk himself to unconsciousness; he looked at his surroundings. He was in a jail cell, and it was dark outside. He looked around the cell and saw a small toilet in the corner, and a bunk. There was a bed across from where he was hunched over, and there was that man again, this time dressed in a black button-up shirt and black suit pants. He had black hair that was combed over in that _way_ that made Ed's skin crawl. He uttered something under his breath.

"Well, well. You're awake," the man said, and Ed looked down at the ground. "Cut the chatter, Asshole. What do you want?"

"Oh, we have ourselves a snappy one," the man bellowed, laughing in that all-too-familiar way, making Ed wish he could sink into the walls and disappear. He looked out to see the woman carrying Winry by the arm and squeezing it tightly. He heard her whimper, and saw her bite her lip, but didn't do a thing. He'd really messed this up...

"Hello? Earth to Shrimp Boy! Ha ha!" Ed looked up to glare at the man. It was too much energy to glare or even show emotion, but he couldn't let his weakness show. He said quietly, "Where's my brother? And what're you doing with Winry?"

The man looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. "Oh, well I'd _love_ introduce myself. I'm Raymond Palomino. You can call me Ray or Lieutenant Palomino." Ed growled, and said, "Ray, you say? Fine then. What the fuck have you done to my broth-" Ed was slapped across the face, so hard his hair fell out of his loose ponytail. He bit his lip, which pulsed, and he said, "You fuckin'..."

"Your brother is in the infirmary," Ray said, standing up and brushing off the back of his pants. "Your girlfriend, however, is being questioned by Elizabeth, who's my partner. Hopefully we can just get the execution over with before anything _bad_ happens." Ray moved to walk out, but Ed was faster. He pushed the man as far into the bars as he could without squishing the man. His eyes were on fire, and his cheeks were pink from the hotness of the enclosed room. "You bastard..."

Ray smirked and kneed Ed in the gut. Ed toppled over, clutching his stomach, and coughing up the remnants of his scotch. It burned coming up as it did going down. "Aw... shit." He collapsed into his former position, holding his stomach and groaning. He heard someone be thrown into the cell beside him, and when he heard a squeaky "Mf!" he knew it was Winry.

"Win, I'm sorry..." Ed croaked, not moving his hand from its spot on his stomach.

"Shut it, Ed. I don't want to hear it."

Ed looked at the wall where he knew she was glaring. He crawled over and placed his head where he pictured hers, and he said, "You're right, I'm sorry."

He heard Winry collapse onto her knees, and suddenly saw that her arm was reaching out of her barred cell. He reached his out too and grabbed her hand. "Winry, I really, _really_ am sorry." He heard a soft chuckle, and a quiet "How're you doing? I heard you get kicked in the gut. Do I need to come have a look?"

_You can have a look anytime you want,_ Ed's subconscious said, making him smirk. He placed his flaming cheek on the cool concrete wall and said, "I wish you could, Win. But there's a thick cement wall in between us, if you haven't noticed." He heard Winry sigh, and he rubbed his thumb on her hand.

Suddenly, Winry said quietly, "It's too bad, because I could _really_ use a neck rub."

Ed shivered.

* * *

"Are you sure it's wise to put them so close together?" Elizabeth Ravenclaw asked her partner as they walked through the long corridor of the jail. Ray looked at her with a gentle smile and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Of course, Liza. After all, what're they going to do with 6 inches of concrete in between them?"

* * *

In the middle of the night, Ed couldn't sleep. Not comfortably, anyway. He tossed in the steel cot far from the wall where Winry's cot was - _or was in his mind_ - to face the concrete wall, and he opened his eyes slowly. Suddenly he heard someone playing with Winry's lock. He stiffened and shot up from the cot to run to the edge of his cell. "Winry! You okay?" he whispered, and suddenly he saw her blue eyes staring at him. "Hush you," she said simply, and she pulled out her hair pin to unlock his lock. He smirked at her.

She slowly and cautiously pulled the cell open and ran into his arms. The bars closed and relocked on their own, but it surely made a soft clicking noise. The guard down the hall, with donut crumbs sprinkled on his police uniform, snored and rolled over in his sleeping position.

He kissed her face, welcoming her back into his arms, and he whispered, "Really, Win. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing, idiot. It's time to sleep, come on," she tugged him over to the bed, and he pulled off his jacket to wrap her up in it, leaving him in his white button up and vest. She smiled at his gesture and tugged the jacket around her body; it smelled so sweet, like his natural cologne-like scent.

They laid down together, side by side, on the steel cot. The impact of her uncovered legs on the cool metal made her shiver, and Ed smirked to himself. "I wish there were extra blankets or something..." his voice faded as Winry started to fall into a deeper sleep, and she snuggled into his body. He lay down, combed her bangs out of her face, and fell asleep shortly after, their breathing in perfect unison.

* * *

_D'awww. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but... that turned out better than I thought... _-_-

Thank you to my beta-reader, **Half-Hearted Shadow**. Your editing makes a difference~

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Keep it coming, folks, there's more to come! (There's about 20 chapter total!)

~Cookie


	10. Chapter 10

_Wow! I made it to 10! That means the story's about halfway over. The "climactic" part was when Ed, Winry, and Al were captured, which means it's only a matter of time before... ahem, something happens. *is smacked behind the head by my writing muse* _-_-

_A huge thanks to my beta-reader, _**Half-Hearted Shadow**. _Go read her stuff. NAO!_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

London, 1925

**Checking In**

By morning, Ed was completely enthralled in the beauty in his arms. He'd woken up with the sweet flowery smell of her hair in his face as she was burrowed into his chest, in the position she'd fallen asleep in last night. Her cheeks were pink from the heat radiating from his body, and her lips were twitching. Her eyes seemed to be looking through her eyelids and seemed to be staring into his eyes. A smile tugged his lips and he leaned down to kiss her cheek. He slipped out from her grasp and stretched in the cool room.

Apparently, while they had slept, it had decided to snow, and he looked outside to let his senses dance.

Winter in this world smelled of dirt and water, a smell Ed had gotten used to after living in the god-forsaken town of London for almost two years. He glanced outside where a local girl and boy were playing in their yard a few blocks down - his eyesight was that good? - and smiled to himself. Someday, he wanted to have children. But... he'd be damned if anyone but him knew that, at least until he got married.

For some odd, peculiar reason, he blushed and thought of only one name/face for him: Winry.

He shook his head, looking back quickly to see if she was still asleep. She was. He sighed and went over to the edge of the cell. "Uh, are we going to get some breakfast or something?"

Suddenly, the woman that had showed up with Ray before, Elizabeth, had showed up to stand on the other side. She bent down slightly, giving Ed a perfect view down her shirt, but he kept his eyes locked on hers as much as humanly possible, and he repeated "Are we going to get something to eat?"

She had a calm, maternal nature in her hazel eyes, and she smiled and unlocked the cell to give him two plates. She stayed quiet as she pushed the second one into his hands and looked at Winry, who turned in her sleep. Sheesh, she slept like a rock... Ed nodded firmly and backed away with both plates of food and watched as Liza locked the door again. She walked nonchalantly through the corridor, bumping into her partner.

"They were sleeping," he heard her say, and the door closed. He smiled and started to eat his instant scrambled eggs and potatoes.

When Winry woke up, her head was spinning. Her senses were on overload when the steel under her was suddenly colder; she watched as snow blew through the window in the middle of the wall. She sat up, shivering and pulling Ed's jacket around her body to preserve what little warmth she had left, and got up to explore the different cell.

It was about the same size as hers, but reflected. She walked to the window to stare at the winter snow covering the English streets. A cool breeze blew her hair into her face; snowflakes planted themselves on her eyelashes. She turned around to see Ed banging his head on the concrete wall. Winry raised an eyebrow at him and walked over, sitting beside him.

"What're we doing here?" Winry asked, her voice hoarse. Ed looked at her and moved his arm closer to her; his left, around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. She looked at him, resting her chin on his shoulder; his bottom lip was shaking. She reached up with her right middle finger and pulled his head toward hers, and she met him in a short kiss. He panted, and said quietly, "I haven't heard anything about Al's condition yet."

She looked into his golden eyes, fierce as the sun, and smiled. "He's an Elric, dear. He's going to be just fine, you'll see." Ed blinked at her and smiled, resting his forehead on hers, saying: "You're right. He'll be fine."

The two sat like that for a while before Winry had an idea. She closed her eyes and, almost absently, kissed his neck. Ed's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. Winry moved to his jaw, leaving bite marks on his face, and he panted before being trapped in a mixture of emotions. Love. Passion. Confusion. Fear. He parted his lips to moan her name into her own mouth, and his warm breath tickled her as she breathed deeply.

"Ed?"

"Mm." He sighed through his nose, moving his forehead back to its original position.

"I've been thinking, and..." she blushed and looked away, making Ed's lazy head fall in her neck. He flushed and kissed her warm skin. She shivered, then continued, "I think I want to be with you."

Ed blinked at the side of her neck; his eyelashes tickling her tight skin. "You... do?" he squeaked nervously while she wrapped her arms around him. "I do. I have for a long time now, but I never really let those feelings surface." Ed looked up at her, sitting with his arms hanging off of his legs, and he smiled at her. "Winry, I've wanted to be with you since, well... I can't remember..." he zoned out, staring into her blue eyes. She giggled, her deep blush fading into a more becoming rosy pink; and she replied, "So... what now?"

Ed crawled over, leaning his face to hers as he licked his lips. They were so close, his tongue touched her lips, and she exhaled. "So now I think... I should, uh..." Ed stuttered, his lips moving on hers as he spoke, "I think I should make you mine."

Winry pushed his shoulders away gently to look him in the eyes. "Ed... it's broad daylight and we're waiting on news about your brother. The least you can do is wait until nightfall. Can you do that?" Heaven knows I can't, Winry blushed, but didn't look away as he sighed dispiritedly. "I guess so." He kissed her lips again before standing up as he heard footsteps. Winry joined him.

"H-Here's your jacket."

"Keep it."

"Thanks, Ed."

"Welcome."

Suddenly, the officer that had been sleeping in the corner walked by and snapped, "Hey! You're not supposed to be in there, Miss Hussy! Get outta here before I..."

"_What_ did you call her!" Ed snarled at the man, and Winry growled.

"Who're _you_ calling a _hussy_?"

The cop shrugged and took a bite of his doughnut - Ed snorted - as he said nonchalantly, "You might want to dress accordingly, Elric. You're a criminal." He walked away (more like waddled) toward his trusty chair and folded his arms. He watched Ed glare for five minutes before Ed turned around.

"God fucking damn it," he growled, punching the opposite wall. He stared out the window, a blizzard was starting, and he turned around to see Winry still flushed with anger. "I want to hit him. Really hard," Winry said under her breath, and Ed dropped his shoulders.

"Nobody will call you a hussy ever again. If they do, they'll have to deal with me!"

Winry smiled as she watched his nose twitch. When did he become so cute?

* * *

_Mehe. Review? Alert? Favorite? Meep?_

_~Cookie_

**NEWSNEWSNEWS: **I've decided to put a deadline on this story! It sort of wraps in with my other story, _Home Is Where the Heart Is_, in terms of dates and stuff. SO. I am also going to be updating every other week, but on the weeks that I'm not updating HIWtHI, every other Tuesday. Understand?

**Next Update: **25 January 2011

_~Again, Cookie_


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay, I'm not sure if you guys have discovered by now, but... this story isn't very good anymore. The drive to write it is gone... I might just end up posting the rest of the chapters in one final one so I can work on something else. I'm not sure if I like it anymore... Feedback is loved!_

_By the way, _S J Smith_, I went over the story and fixed the thought-process-inducing stuff. Hope I got it all, thanks for your feedback! :)_

_

* * *

_

London, 1925

**Hold Me Close**

It was hard to believe that the Elric/Rockbell party had entered their second week in jail. After breakfast was collected, Ed and Winry were caught and allowed to stay in the same cell, and were given their outfits; Winry was given some sort of hospital gown and was told she'd be assisting in the infirmary to pay her dues while Ed was interrogated during the day. At night, they were given half an hour to eat and bathe, and they were to report to their cell immediately at nine o'clock.

The only reason either of them were aloud to leave was if they were either eating in the dining hall or when they were being put to work/questioning. Winry worked as a nurse, assisting by standing beside the doctor and having to call him right. Occasionally, she caught him staring at her breasts, and she smacked him in the face.

The day that happened, Winry was thrown, quite literally, back into hers and Ed's cell. Thank heavens Ed was there to catch her before she hit the cement wall hard on her back.

Winry, having worked in the infirmary with doctors who treated Alphonse day after day, had heard that Al was making a speedy recovery and was going to be released from the hold of the police. When she told Ed, he was relieved, and the two went on with their day quietly, smiling and happy that Al was alive and healing.

When evening rolled around, Winry was kindly escorted back to the cell by the guard, who had no intention of letting her go. She winced as his rough, calloused hands tightened around her wrist, and let out a sharp exhale as she was thrown back into the cell, quite literally. She turned her head, looking for her lover, and found him with his auto-mail hand covering his eyes."Ed? Are you alright?" Winry whispered to the sleeping boy, who stirred and rolled his head to look at her.

He smiled, a beaten, weak smile, and said "Elric men don't give in easily, Win. I'm perfect," he sat up, wincing as he applies pressure to his bruised side, and Winry walked over to take a look.

"It looks like you took quite the beating... what did you do this time?" Winry kept her voice calm and steady, and he looked up at her. He smiled guiltily, and she sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know. As long as you didn't start any fights with anyone who could possibly get us outta here..."

Ed sighed. "No, nothing like that. Ray referred to you as my 'little prostitute' and I broke his nose. No big deal." Winry smiled at him and crawled to sit between his legs.

"Ed, I want to get out of here."

"I know." He said quietly. "Me too."

"We don't belong here." Winry croaked. "We don't belong in a place like this (with no alchemy, she added in her head), despite the fact that you broke that man's jaw..."

"Heh..."

Winry looked at him sleepily, and he smiled. "You're exhausted, aren't you? Let's pass on our little deal and just go to sleep, okay? You're practically sleeping on my shoulder," he laid them down and she took of the jacket to rest it on top of them rather than around her. Ed wrapped his right arm, still auto-mail, around her body to pull her closer, and she fell asleep almost immediately, her hair being her cushion.

Ed hadn't realized his arms acted on their own and wrapped his arms around her, so he started to pull his arms away when he was sure she was comfortable. Suddenly, he felt her fingers bring his arm back around her and she said "Hold me, you idiot."

He smiled and fell asleep after her.

* * *

When morning rolled around, Ed's head was spinning. Not only that, but his heart ached. He opened his eyes lazily, his eyes fluttering and not focusing fast enough. Right above him was the woman who resembled Riza Hawkeye, Elizabeth Ravenclaw. He sat up, letting Winry sleep under his chest, and he looked at her sternly.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

Liza was wearing a violet suit, like one would wear to a dinner. Her hair once pulled back was resting at her shoulders, and she was wearing glasses. If Ed hadn't known better, he'd have thought she was a mother looking at her child as if waiting for an explanation as to why he broke her favorite vase. Ed flinched and sat up all the way, crossing his legs close to his abdomen.

"Did you come to interrogate me some more?"

"Raymond is going to drop the charges against you," she said simply, peeling off her glasses and cleaning them on her dress. He hadn't thought they were dirty. He nodded, but added, "What charges? What did I do, exactly?"

Liza sighed through her nose. "You broke his nose, remember? He says he's going to drop the charges, on one condition. But I don't think you're going to like it." Ed looked at her, motioning for her to go on by rotating his hands in a circle.

"He wants that friend of yours for some testing and research. Chances are she's not from here (Ed gulped) and he needs to confirm some data..." Ed cut her off rudely, red in the cheeks.

"No. I'm not going to let them take Winry. Not to do anything so risky." Liza nodded, adjusting her gown. She pulled out a police uniform and shoved it into his chest.

"I know. And to show you I mean no harm, I'm going to aid in your trial in any way I can."

* * *

_This took a LOT of fixing, but I think I got everything right. The descriptions in this one kinda suck... I think it's one of those chapters put in just to keep the story moving. _

_By the way, the next chapter is the reason this story has an _M _rating, so be warned. It's nearer to the end, though, so I'm not sure if there's any major information you'll be missing. The chapter after that, though, is when the action really picks up. _^_^_ Happy reading/reviewing!_

_~Cookie_

**Next Update: **09 February 2011


	12. Chapter 12

_So, as I stated before, this is the chapter with the Lemon. I'm not very good at citrus, but this is what you get... some fluff too! Since some of you have no tolerance for bad citruses (gr?), I'm going to bold that section and you may skip it if you want. :D It's a very short section, only because I'm still pretty new it at... xD_

_Thank you to my beta-reader **Half-Hearted Shadow** for the edits! :) And thanks for the feedback from everyone who reviewed! :) Keep 'em coming, there's a lot of action coming up!_

_

* * *

_

London, 1925

**Gift**

The morning sun of the fourth week sliced through the bars of the window, creating a sliced interior. Winry was sitting on the bed, combing through her hair with her long fingers, while Ed was staring at the opposite side of the wall.

He seemed absorbed in the writing that was there. Some wished to die; others regretted their mistakes and the majority looked to be written in blood. Ed shuddered and walked away from the wall, gaining back some of his sanity. He directed his mind to other things: his brother, his friends...

His _Winry_.

He looked up at her to see she was staring down at the ground. He walked over to sit beside her and they both smiled at the gesture. Ed rubbed the back of his neck and dug into his vest pocket to dig out a small box. He shoved it into her hands.

"What's this?" Winry inquired.

"It's a... present?" Ed said more in the form of a question. Winry cocked her head to the side.

"What... kind of present, Edward?" she always had this way of saying his full name. It made him blush and gave him butterflies.

"It's a present. For you. Because I want to prove to you that I'm not the same hot-headed, reckless, moronic, temperamental pipsqueak you knew when we were younger." Winry blushed. She was going to have to do this again? Oh well. This time she wasn't going to let him get away; she stared right into his eyes.

"And how're you going to do that?" she asked sweetly and quietly.

"Like this," he shoved his lips onto hers in a sweet, passionate kiss. At first it was chaste and gentle, but he deepened the kiss, receiving a moan from his beloved. The noise she made in her throat made him smirk playfully; he made her make that noise and he was damn proud.

When they broke to breathe, Winry stuttered breathlessly, "What're you getting at?"

Ed swallowed. "Winry Rockbell?" she nodded him on "When you and I get out of here, and I'm sure the three of us are safe, will you marry me?"

Her answer shook her body and she jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him hungrily.

"Yes! Yes, oh god yes!"

The rest of the day had gone on accordingly; lunch had come later than expected and wasn't even worth the wait. Winry spent the rest of the afternoon throwing it back up and Ed cajoled her as much as humanly possible without getting a punch in the stomach. When the sickness dissipated, Winry spent most of her time examining the box Ed had given her.

In all of the excitement, she hadn't even opened it. She'd just kissed Ed silly, leaving both of their cheeks flushed and their lips swollen and dark pink. Winry touched her lips, a light caress, and went to open the box. A silver band with a diamond glittered in front of her; she thought she was going to cry. Ed walked over from his usual spot across the room to gaze upon her shining face. "I'm sorry, it's all I could afford, what with the plummeting economy and all."

"It's perfect," she said through her tears, smiling and giggling to herself. She kissed him on the lips for no more than a second, and Ed touched her cheek.

"Will you… accept me?" a blush bubbled to his cheeks, but he didn't tear his eyes away.

"Yes, Edward. Of course. I've been ready for years."

"Alright. Tonight, it's all about you." He kissed the side of her face, landing butterfly kisses on her jaw and a peck on her neck. She shivered.

"And you," she gasped out, reaching up to grab his cheek and pull his face to her lips again.

Though lunch came late that day, dinner came around the normal time. Though, this time, Liza brought it instead of Ray and the three sent each other grins. Winry walked to the edge of the bars. "Do you think you could get that guard out of here tonight?"

Liza acknowledged, but shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. If it were my choice, I wouldn't have him here in the first place. I understand you two want some alone time, and that's fine. But if I get one complaint, I'm going to have to separate you two. Do you understand?" the twosome gulped and nodded in unison, and Ed said:

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. It's not like we're going to be screaming into the night. Though, I promise to keep her under control," he winked at Winry who, in return, said quiet enough for only herself and Liza to hear:

"Says the boy who can't control the tent in his pants." The women sniggered, and Ed huffed beside them. This was going to be a long evening.

Nighttime rolled around in a flash, leaving Ed staring off into the night sky. Winry had just gone to take a much needed shower and he was surely hoping there was no such rumor as the 'Drop the Soap' spiel with the men.

Ed shuddered just thinking about that.

Winry returned after a few more minutes, her hair wet and her skin shining in the moonlight. Her blue eyes became sapphires, the jewel itself not giving the deep and richness of her eyes the justice they deserved. Ed met her at the threshold and, once the guard had left again to take his nightly nap, he carried her bridal style to the bed. "You're sure now, Winry? There's no turning back..."

"Ed, what did I tell you earlier?"

"..." He scratched behind his head with a nervous chuckle.

Winry huffed, crossing her arms. Ed hated it when she did that, because now he had the perfect view of what awaited him under her shirt. "I said I'd been waiting for you, for this, for years."

"Oh yeah." Ed smacked the side of his face, and Winry grabbed his auto-mail hand.

She wrapped it around her waist, making him pull her closer. She kissed his neck, at first nervously, and he shuddered. He started, slowly, unbuttoning her shirt. He barely got halfway when Winry found his pants and had started unzipping the fly. He grunted as her hands brushed over his erection, and she squeaked in surprise. He panted and took a moment to breathe before taking her lips in his again.

**By the time her shirt was thrown on the floor, Ed's pants were halfway down his shins. Winry wrapped her arms around his neck as he explored her waist; every time he brushed her belly with his chilly auto-mail fingers, a whimper escaped her lips, and Ed absolutely loved it. Winry's fingers clumsily unbuttoned his vest and threw it to the side, then she moved to his shirt. When the first three buttons were undone, she could feel some fuzz on his chest. She shivered and he released her mouth, moving to her neck. He suckled on the skin, and he felt her back arch into his erection.**

**"If you touch me one more time..." he growled huskily as he bit the side of her neck, and she giggled, her cheeks flushed a brilliant red.**

**"Like I can help it; you keep touching me." She retorted, kissing his jaw sweetly. He looked at her, straight into her ocean blue eyes, and said quietly into the chilly night:**

**"I love you, Win."**

**Winry blushed, but didn't get time to respond when he threw her pants on the floor. In a matter of seconds, he pulled his boxers off and she, in one swift motion, yanked her panties off. Ed took her beauty in, and embraced her. "You're beautiful, Winry."**

**"I…" she attempted with a light blush, and she felt his hard member at her entrance. She sighed through her nose, and said, "I'm ready."**

**Ed nodded and slowly entered her. Her back arched, making him go deeper than he'd premeditated, and he launched for her mouth. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Winry," he cooed as she bit her tongue, tightening their hold on his back. He wiped her tears with his hands frantically, and said sadly, "I knew I'd hurt you. I'm so sorry..."**

**"Ed, stop apologizing," she said quietly, kissing his face sweetly. "It hurts, big deal! I'll be fine once I get used to you, okay? Just be gentle." She cooed back in his ear, mewling like a kitten; he blinked at her.**

**"I'll have to be sure to make you make that noise again," he said sweetly, and with a gentle tug, he began his steady rhythm. "Ed, oh god. Edward!"**

_So, I hope it wasn't too bad... oh well. See you in 2 Tuesdays! :) Enjoy your February vacations, if you have them like I do~ OH, and sorry this was soooo wicked late!_

**Next Update: **(I promise this time!) 22 February 2011

_Ja-ne! _

_~Cookie_


	13. Chapter 13

_It's about damned time I got something up! I almost forgot, AGAIN. I kinda suck, it's all good._

_On with the story... I don't want to get stuff thrown at me... _*dodges a crap load of stuff*

_

* * *

London, 1925  
_

If there was anything Ed hated more than useless migraines, it was the person who normally caused them. In Amestris, it just happened to be Roy Mustang. In London, it happened to be his counterpart, Raymond Palomino.

When Ed woke up with Winry laying naked underneath him, a smile developed on his face. He leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek, and wrapped her in his jacket. He got out of bed and, in not even a second, slipped on his boxers and pants. Suddenly, the door down the hall opened, and Ed felt a migraine coming on. He croaked, "Palomino," in the morning air, and the man who caused it cackled.

"Ah, you've come to recognize me, have you?"

Ed growled and snickered, wrinkling his nose. "Nah, I've just discovered that you give me a headache. What the hell do you want?"

Ray unlocked his cell with a loud clink of the keys, but as much as Ed wanted to bolt, he stayed where he was. In fact, he backed up and combed some stray hair out of Winry's face. "I'm not leaving, Ray. What the fuck do you want?" the black haired man walked in with a calm stroll, and soon after Liza and the officer from down the hallway entered. Ed decided it would be safe if he kept his mouth shut right now.

"I've picked a trial day, Mr. Elric," Ray leaned on the cement wall, crossing his arms professionally. Ed nodded and sniffed. Something smelled weird. "And I suppose I should tell you when and where it is, and who I want to attend," Ed winced as the man's voice seemed to crackle like lightning. Ray acknowledged what his voice was doing to the man.

"Before you tell me anything about that, I want to know what's going to happen to Alphonse and Winry?"

Ed watched the man sneer at the sound of the two, and Liza piped up now, much to her partner's disdain, "Mr. Heiderich - _Ed was relieved that she was keeping his true identity a secret _- and Miss Rockbell will be released from the jail after your trial. Neither of them are allowed at the trial, but there's one man who is stepping up to be your lawyer."

Ed cocked his head to the side. "Oh?" _'Stepping up'? When did I suddenly become a threat?_ Ed thought to himself, and he saw Ray talking to the guard. "Take her out of here" he said quietly, and Ed heard Winry stir. His heart pounded hard against his chest, and he watched her eyes flutter open. Ray took no heed and said in a harsh tone, "Your trial is going to be in one week from tomorrow, at City Hall. I'm going to send Officer Hughes to your cell to pick you up."

"Feh." Ed scoffed at the sound of his friend's name, and Ray shrugged, making his exit. Liza locked his cell and Ed got up to lean on the bars lazily. "Ms. Ravenclaw?"

The older woman looked at him. "Yes, Mr. Elric?"

"Could you send for some hair dye this evening? I'm starting to get some gray hairs, which is the last thing I want before my trial next week," Liza didn't argue nor respond, but walked away. He sensed somewhere in the back of his brain that she was going to obey his request. He walked back over to the cot where he saw Winry sitting up, her still bare-chested. "Good morning," he said softly.

"Mm," she groaned and covered herself with her arms. "I'm still naked."

"Well," Ed examined his beloved, his eyes playful and his head bent down in thought, "Your clothes _are_ splayed across the floor, and you _just_ woke up. Besides, it's not as bad a view as you think, Win..." his voice trailed off, and he leaned down to give her his button-up shirt. She smirked, and said "Pervert," while slipping the article of clothing over her chest. She slipped out of the cot, the shirt long enough to be a short dress. She smirked and he smiled back. "That fixes your naked problem."

"But not yours, right?" he giggled, and she grumbled, "Pervert," again while yawning. He added, "But I'm _your _pervert," and she nodded, rolling her eyes.

"That you are."

* * *

Over the course of four days, Ed worked on his little escape plan to get out of jail. At first, it had been a plan for Al and Winry, but now he wanted to get out just as badly. Considering there was no real reason for a trial, he wanted to get out of this hellhole no matter how much it hurt his ego. Part of him, the 'good' Edward, pleaded he stay and serve his rightful time. Only the judge could decide his fate from now on. However, the other part, the 'bad' Edward, knew there was nothing else to do but run. He would decide his own fate and wouldn't let anyone stand in his way.

He wasn't going to become a push-over like his father was.

On the morning on the fifth day, Liza had delivered the hair dye that Ed wished for. She also gave him a pair of green contact lenses, a police uniform, a pair of rusty scissors, and the right to his phone call. _Better late than never_ Ed thought to himself, smacking his forehead. No words were said, but only glances nods and smiles. Through the night, Ed dyed his hair and put in the green contact lenses. Over the next few hours, he dressed himself accordingly as a police officer, and when the dye was ready to be washed out, Winry cut his hair relatively short. By early morning, he and Winry were ready to leave.

"Here, Win," he handed her the glasses, and said "You got the plan?"

"Yep," she said confidently with a bright smile. Her eyes were dark and sad, and Ed knew why, and he helped tie her wrists with a long twine rope. She winced, he apologized, and they heard Liza step in. She 'accidentally' dropped the keys, and Ed picked it up, dangerous criminal-gone-innocent style, and

unlocked his cell. His black hair made him look similar to Officer Hughes, something he didn't quite want anything to point out at the moment.

He calmly and with much resolve tugged Winry - _gently, of course_ - down the hallway and, when he got to the guard, he was safely let through to the other side. He squinted, having not seen the light of the sunrise in five weeks, and nonchalantly made his way toward the front desk.

The receptionist asked him where he was taking her, and he said in a deep voice that he was taking her across town. Apparently, that was a formidable excuse because it was allowed, and he escorted her to a car that just happened to pull up to the front. The door opened, where a man with thin black hair, a tiny mustache, and a single eye-glass (?) tugged Winry in. Ed climbed in beside her, and the man hurried around to the driver's seat to drive them away.

Winry sighed in relief as they drove away from the jail, and she smelled a familiar scent: baby powder. She looked at her other side and saw Al sitting beside her with a smile on his face, and she gave him a small kiss on the cheek and fell asleep on his shoulder.

Before she completely backed out, one word echoed in her self-conscious.

"Home."

* * *

Ray marched down the corridor with a serious frown plastered on his face. He'd just been told that the Elric runt and his beloved had gotten past security, and being in charge of that sector of the jail, he wasn't all too thrilled. He got to the security guard's office, where the man was on the phone with someone he called 'Katherine', and hung up the man's phone harshly.

"Take me to Elric's cell!" he ordered, and he was hurriedly brought to the cell, where it was indeed empty.

"I didn't see them escape, sir," said the man who stared at the bristling man's face. "All I saw was a police officer tugging a person with glasses toward the exit, and that was all, I swear!"

Ray opened the cell, seeing all of their stuff had miraculously disappeared. The room held a horrible smell of dye, and there were traces of golden blond hair on the window sill. In the corner was a note taped to the cement wall, and Liza stepped toward it to read it. She bit her lip and showed it to her superior, hearing his veins pop and his blood boil.

"Do you want to know what it says?"

She nodded, noting his voice had crossed into the category of 'royally pissed off'. "Sir."

"It reads:

_Fuck off ~ Edward Elric_"

Liza took the note and passed it to the guard. "Find him and bring him back. We're not going to give in without a fight-"

"Lieutenant?"

"Sir?" Liza turned to see an evil smile on his face, and she stepped back.

"Let _me_ handle this from here on out."

She nodded and started to turn out of the cell, waiting for her partner to finish his thought process. Outside, he seemed calm and collected, as if the note wasn't ripping him apart. Inside however, she knew better, and he could almost hear him screaming.

"_Elric!_"

* * *

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed this! Please, review some more!_

_Oh, and I also wrote a little something in the Fruits Basket fandom, if you'd like to take a look! _;3

_~Cookie_


	14. Chapter 14

__

So. This is unbearably short, and I apologize for that. I also apologize for it being a whole THREE days late. I suck. I know. I suck at deadlines, can't you tell?

:(

_So. There's maybe... two chapters left? I think so, and it's very sad. However, there is a possibility for a sequel... you'll see when the last chapter is posted. That will determine whether or not it will happen. _

_So. There's not much else to say. Thanks to my beta-reader, _**Half-Hearted Shadow**_. She's totally amazing, isn't she?_

**New Destination**

Voices whispered above her, nearly being drowned out by the car's engine. Winry felt a body, whether it was Al's or Ed's didn't matter much, shift in the small space provided. It was hard to open her eyes; but she was sure she'd done enough sleeping for one lifetime. The lemon-blond opened her bright blue eyes and stared out the window of the windshield to see a mysterious man driving, and in the passengers seat was a very familiar man. Winry's eyes shot open, and her thought was confirmed.

There, sitting in early twentieth century Europe, was William.

"W-Will?" Winry whispered, her voice reaching a new note, maybe two octaves higher, and Ed looked at her.

"Ah, you're awake. Winry, meet Fritz Lang and his nephew William. He's been working for- Win?"

Winry hadn't heard a word he'd said, because William said in his usual soft, seductive way "Hello, Winry."

Ed gave William a look, and Al awkwardly sunk back into his seat and stared out the window. The glare held fire, daggers, and a smidgen of jealousy, and was directed at the man in the front seat. William looked at Edward with an innocent look, and shrugged.

"So, this is your fiancé?" Will said in his charming way, and Ed nodded harshly.

"Yeah, and I'd advise you not to steal this one, okay? She means a lot to me."

Winry blushed, and Al patted her shoulder. "Al? Are you okay?"

"Mm," he nodded, and she rested her chin on his right shoulder. She felt Ed's arm snake around her back and waist, and she held his hand. The girl didn't take her eyes off of the younger brother, and he said quietly, "They've always fought over girlfriends. Constantly butting heads..."

Winry nodded, and leaned on Ed while resting her chin on his left shoulder. He looked down at her, his scowl becoming a smirk, and he said quietly, "For the record, I've had one other. And, she wasn't even half the woman you are." She flushed and smiled back at him. He chuckled, kissing her sweetly on the lips.

When he broke the kiss, he said quietly in the dense air in the cab, "Yo, Lang. Where're we going, anyway?"

"Germany," came the voice Winry could only distinguish as Fuhrer Bradley, and Al then snapped to attention.

"Why there? Why not anywhere else Winry could be safe at! That's what this whole mission is about, Mr. Lang!" Al wrapped his right arm around his childhood friend's shoulders, and when he saw Lang smirk and Ed frown and bow his head, he tightened his grip. "Oh, I see."

"What is it?" Winry looked frantically between the three, who seemed to have talked about this in advance. Al looked away, a frown pressed onto his features where a usual mischievous smile would be, and Ed sighed through his nose. She looked at him with flaring nostrils and her blue eyes narrowed. "Edward?"

Said boy gulped and kept his gaze away from hers. There was always a catch, wasn't there? Especially when it came to anything between her and Ed. She leaned away, her head bowing downward as she leaned back. Ed's arm snaked tighter, and Al pulled his arm off of her shoulders. She just didn't get it...

_No more_ ,Winry thought, _They're not going to keep anymore secrets from me. Look where it's gotten us._

"Ed...!" Winry growled, staring into the corner of his eye. He slowly, reluctantly, swung his head to face hers and his golden eyes locked with her ocean blue ones. "Where're we really going?"

"You, Win," he said, his voice soft and miserable, "Are going home. It's too dangerous, and..."

_Clang!_

Ed nursed his wounded cranium, and Winry steamed, clutching the nearest-hardest thing she could get. Luckily for her, and unluckily for Ed, Al handed her a wrench, which Lang just happened to have in his car; and Winry had beaten Ed with it. Again.

Al sighed as nostalgia sunk in. But, then remembered it was hardly appropriate to think back to the 'good days'. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms, looking at the back of Winry's head.

"Winry, you must understand..." he dodged a wrench to the skull, but received it in the shoulder instead. He winced, "... if anything happened to you, surely Brother would do something..." another blow, but this time he caught it in his bare palm, once again wincing, "...stupid and reckless. You know that! We just want you to be..." this time, she hit him in the face, and he saw stars shine in his eyes.

Ed finished his little brother's explanation, "...safe!"

Winry looked at the brothers, back and forth, and felt tears surface. Her hands shook, and she dropped the wrench on the ground. She clenched her hands into fists, and Ed watched her skin catch drips. Her tears rolled over her skin and down her fingertips, and Ed looked away. He put his hand on her head, an action supposedly affectionate, and pulled her to him. "You know I would, Win."

_She didn't respond and didn't have to. Her tears, shaking shoulders, and miserable frown told Ed all he needed to know._

* * *

_Oi. It's been a long week, but I finally got this chapter up. (It's not my fault this time! _**Shadow-kun**_ didn't get back to me until... last night, and I was asleep by then). _

_ You all know the drill! Thank you to those who reviewed, and please continue to do so! _

_ I'll update in 2 weeks! The date is, um... I can't remember, but remember two weeks after Tuesday (or Wednesday, depending on how the week starts off)._

_ ~Cookie_


	15. Chapter 15

_Oh wow, you guys... this is the SECOND TO LAST chapter before this story comes to an end. I can't help but feel a little sad, but hey. I've got more to work on now! :D_

_Thank you to my reviewers/followers/stalkers who have supported me through the painful process of raising this story and watching it grow. Especially, my dear beta-reader _**Half-Hearted Shadow**_. You're so wonderful! :)_

* * *

Somewhere in England, 1925

After two more hours of awkward silence, Lang pulled into an inn on the side of the road. Not only did it have a gas station for his vehicle, but also rooms wrapping around the parking lot and a small restaurant at the check-in. While Lang got out to stretch and chat with Al and William, Ed and Winry stayed in the car.

Winry was deathly quiet, Ed noted, but was acknowledging his presence by holding his hands that he'd offered. While any old twentieth-century woman would question her male partner on why he was going to leave her alone, again, and why it even remained an option, Winry was quite different. She knew every answer to any question anyone could ask about Ed, and Ed could do the same with Winry. However, the fact that those questions remained even possible to ask broke Winry in two.

"Winry, we're only doing this to..."

"Protect me, I know." She answered sadly. "I guess it was just a matter of time before you got rid of me, eh?"

Ed gasped, insulted. "Don't put it that way! I don't want to send you home, but that's being selfish. I might be your fiancé, but I'm still your best friend. And that part of me is putting your safety first, and this is the safest thing right now. I won't stand aside and watch your safety plummet because I couldn't do anything."

Winry nodded, but it was an automatic nod. He supposed she didn't care about the reason. Before he could say anything more, Al opened his car door and said in his usual nervous whisper, "Lang's got four rooms rented out for us. C'mon, Brother, let's get some much needed sleep."

Ed nodded and opened his car door. Winry followed after, and Ed looked at her the whole walk to their room. Her eyes were emotionless, and her face showed no expression. Ed looked away and slipped his hand into hers, lacing his fingers through hers. She didn't even acknowledge, but allowed the touch.

They got a room to themselves, which Ed was very glad for. After all, when it came to privacy, Ed had always gotten the short end of the stick. There was a fridge and some counters across the room, and there was a single window across from the door. There was one queen-sized bed in the middle of the far wall, with a nightstand beside it. Oh, how he was going to sleep great to-night.

* * *

Night rolled around in one swift wave, and with this night air blew the familiar feeling of exhaustion. Winry could hardly keep her eyes open as she crashed onto the bed she and Ed would be sharing for the night, and Ed soon after. She looked at him, the same look she gave him in the jail cell, and he knew exactly how to deal with it. Suddenly, a tear rolled down her cheek, and he took advantage of her broken heart to mend it.

He crawled over to her and, very slowly, lowered himself to kiss her lips. To his surprise, she kissed him back; her tears falling like a waterfall from her eyes. Ed kissed her cheeks, tasting her salty tears as they fell, and he said quietly, "There's no need to cry, Win. I know you're mad and upset with me, but I'm going to make our time together the best you ever had," he kissed her again, hungrier, and she whimpered. He moved to her neck in one shoot, and she cried his name.

"Ed!" she wrapped her arms under his arms, carefully clawing at his back. He groaned, nibbling her tight skin, and he worked back up to her lips. "What... What're you doing to me? Why can't I stay mad at you, huh?" she caught his lips in a passionate kiss, growling and mewling into his mouth as he tested her limits.

He was just about to find it... he was almost there... just one... More...

*****"Brother! We need to leave!"

Winry threw Ed off of her, off the bed, and got up from the bed with flushed cheeks and rumpled clothes. She got in his face, that deadly glare only Al could distinguish as 'You better have a good explanation for this, Elric!' and he backed away. Fritz Lang came in after him, and then William, who chuckled at Ed's flustered ass on the ground. Ed crawled up off the floor and flew right into his brother. He clutched him by the shirt, and said in a gravely grumble "This better be life or death, Alphonse..."

"Oh, it is." Al looked behind him, pulling the other two into the room of the two flustered adults, and Ed and Winry sat on the bed. William closed the door carefully; Ed was still glaring at his brother. Winry was looking out the window, her eyes tired and almost on automatic sleep-with-your-eyes-open mode. She closed her eyes for a second, just a second, until she heard...

"Winry's in danger! I just went in to check in and get some firewood for the wood stove in our room - Ah. We do have a stove - and guess who I saw?"

Winry woke up slightly, and looked at him with fading vision. "Who, Al?"*****

Al caught his breath, staring at her with wide eyes, and they heard three knocks at the door. Ed looked at the door in less than a second, and heard the all-too-familiar voice on the other side. He froze up, and Winry hid in his shoulder.

"Open up! This is the London police!"

Ed pursed his lips. "Raymond..."

_Damn…_

Winry didn't know what to think; it hadn't been more than a few days that they were driving away from that horrible jail, and now that Palomino man was hot on their trail? Something about this didn't sit right, and she looked in the mirror. Ed still had his black hair, cut short; there was no way Palomino was going to recognize him if he kept his green lenses in, right? Al's eyes were steely brown, and could easily pass as someone else. Fritz Lang and Winry would have to find somewhere to hide until Ed gave the okay.

"Palomino?" William said, and Ed nodded. Al walked over, and whispered in his ear, "Ed escaped with Winry two days ago, and I'm sure it has given him enough time to hunt us down. He's got Ravenclaw and other smart detectives like Officer Hughes to spy on us anyway..."

The door continued to pound, though this one was much more impatient. "I said, open this damn door! This is Ray Palomino of the London police, and I'm ordering you to open up!"

Ed got up, huffing like an old man, and said in his best impersonation of Jean Havoc's 'swagger', "Unh, yeah, hold on, please!" He grabbed Al's jacket and ruffled it around, making it sound like he was putting on his pants. He walked over to Winry and kissed her on the lips, making her breathless and confused, and then messed up his hair. "Lang! Al! Go in the bathroom, okay?" they obeyed. "And Win..." Winry snorted, pressing her arms to her chest. Ed shuddered, a gentle smile gracing over him, and he stepped closer to her. "Get in the bed, Winry," he said quietly; it was hardly an order. She obliged, rubbing against his tender groin, and they went toward the bed together. He kissed her, hard, and then slipped out of the bed when another knock, shaky and impatient, echoed through the room.

"I'm coming...!" he growled, shaking his head, and went to the door. He looked through the peephole for good measure, confirming it was Ray, and opened the door. He was glad he'd kept his eyes green and his hair black. He stared into the eyes of the man, opening it so only his body was shown, and said in a low growl, "What d'ya want, officer?"

Ray saluted and pulled out a picture. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but I was wondering if you've seen these people pass at any time? This one is a criminal," he pointed to Ed, who flinched at being called a criminal, "This one's his little brother, who's wounded, " Liar! thought Ed, "And this is his little prostitute. Rockbell, I think..." before Ray could think or even blink, Ed's fist collided with his face and he was on his bottom looking up. Ed was steaming!

"That was hardly acceptable," Ray growled, nursing his cheek.

Ed said in his normal voice, "Really? I thought it was very acceptable. After all, you called my fiancé a hussy, and me a criminal. What a sorrowful day, indeed." He kicked Ray's shin and closed the door locking it. He ran to the bathroom, where he heard a crash.

Winry looked frantically as he ran to the bathroom door, knocking it down off its hinges, "Ed! The front door!"

Ray kicked down the door, pointing his handgun at Ed and another in his other hand at Winry. Ed looked like he'd seen a ghost, and stood in the middle of the room like a deer caught in headlights. Oh, crap. What to do. He looked at Lang, who nodded, and ran out to stand in front of Winry while Ed got to his brother. He pulled out a gun, receiving a glare from Al, and said, "I'm going to stand with you. But if he tries anything, _anything_, then he's doing to die by my hands!" Al nodded and clapped his shoulder.

Ed and Al stayed in the bathroom, making a plan, while Lang stood with Winry. Winry got up from the bed and put her hands on his shoulders. "What're you doing to do?"

"Exactly what Mr. Elric told me to," he whispered back, and Winry cocked her head to the side. "I'm going to make sure nothing bad happens to you." She smiled at him and thanked him, him nodding and looking at his foe at the door. "It can't be... it's you!"

Ray crossed his arms over his chest, and said, "Mr. Lang! I didn't recognize you. It's been well over a decade or two since I was listening to you at the University, hasn't it?" Lang nodded, and Winry seemed more confused than before. Lang turned to her, and said, "Mr. Palomino was a student of mine back when I taught the art of moviemaking at the University in Munich. I retired early because of the war and went to Japan." Winry, despite her confusion, nodded and Ray pulled his gun from his pocket.

Suddenly, Ed leaped out of the bathroom with his gun in hand, and Ray and Ed aimed their guns at each other. "It doesn't have to be like this, Ray!" Ed shouted, his voice desperate. "We don't have to be enemies! You know from the moment the Fuhrer started his Nazi division and your own teacher was considered an enemy, you've wanted to step up. Defend your teacher, Palomino!" Ed loosened his grip on his gun, still pointed at Ray, and the man in front of him looked to the side.

"You're right, Edward Elric," Ray said moving his gun down, and looking at him. "I did want to speak up. I had this naïveté that, if I didn't help someone close and dear to me, that it would be all my fault. But here's a newsflash, Elric," he pulled the gun back up, pointing it toward the direction of Winry and Lang. "I'm a grown man, and decided to put those unnecessary feelings behind me. Only a child would hold onto such a whim!" he pulled the trigger, and suddenly everything in Ed's world crumbled.

"_Wiiiiiiiiiiinryyyyyyyy!_"

* * *

_Ooh... intense, right? Thank goodness this isn't the last chapter. But, the next one is. _

_Siiiigh. Well, I bet you didn't expect Winry to go. However, it's not all for nought... _*covers mouth and moves onto next topic nervously* _Anywho..._

_Please, please, PLEASE review, okay? There's one last chapter. OH. I almost forgot. There's two conveniently-placed bolded asterisks (the star thingies, for those less knowledgable) before and after a certain point, and that's because it was inspired by a story I hold dear to my _*heart*_. It isn't mine, and it's called "Don't Forget" by Giant Nickel. She's a fantastic author, I commend her and REcommend that story for you. A lot of the happenings in this story are similar to the events used in her story... which, actually, wasn't my fault. I had most of TtLG written up to the action-y point before I had even READ the rest of her story. _:) _Oh well. Because I posted it after reading, I must say I borrowed and ever-so-minorly tweaked her material. I'm sorry it ended that way, I honestly didn't intend that._

_So. Yeah. Reviews are completely wonderful to me! (By the way, next chapter I'll have a surprise, maybe!)_

_~Cookie_


	16. Finale

_Resembool, 1919_

**Without Goodbye**

It had been two hours she'd been sitting there, stroking the girl's hand as she lay unconscious on the bed. There had been no progress, and no sign of waking up soon. The old woman was lucky her granddaughter was even breathing.

Winry was found in an alleyway in Resembool with a suitcase in her hand and a determined grin on her face. Mr. Sundell, the head of the mechanic's shop at the bottom of the village, had brought her back to Pinako's house in the evening, and had told Pinako everything about what happened from what Nellie had told him about William and Winry. Pinako didn't say anything but thank you, and had proceeded to treat her as a patient.

Pinako got up, stretching her body, and said quietly, "She and Ed have always been exactly the same; they always went out looking for trouble..." her sentence was broken when her granddaughter coughed and sputtered back to life. The old woman ran over to help the girl sit up.

"G-Granny?" Winry croaked, holding her chest like she was taking her first breath. Pinako nodded, pushing a stray lock of hair behind the girl's ear.

"Yes, Winry. You were unconscious for a few hours, and were found in an alleyway. Mr. Sundell brought you back here a few hours ago." Winry looked around frantically at her clothes; she was wearing the same thing she'd left Amestris in. She lifted her hand up and started to cry.

She'd lost Ed's engagement ring.

Winry cried in the silence creeping around her like a ninja in a disclosed location. Pinako looked downward; she had no idea what her granddaughter had dreamt of, or what she'd seen before she collapsed in the alley. The old woman got up, and announced, "In celebration of your waking up, we're going to have your favorite: breakfast for dinner!" Winry looked up and faked a smile for her grandmother, and Pinako walked out.

_Did... did I just dream everything? Did I never see Ed or Al? And, Ed and I never..._ Winry looked down at her hands, _both_ of them, and saw she was ring-less on all fingers. She brought her hands to her face and inhaled. She couldn't cry, because that would mean that what Al had told her when they were children meant nothing.

_"If you cry for a person who's gone, they'll feel your sadness and cry too."_

"You were right, Al," she chuckled sadly, getting up from bed and walking to her dresser. She grabbed her linen nightgown, and slipped it over her body. If there was anything she really wanted, it was real food. And even better? Breakfast for dinner! Winry went out into the hallway to join her grandmother in the kitchen.

One month had passed since Winry had awakened, and life had begun to get back to normal. Chores were normal, and customers came in by the dozen every day. Winry was a renowned mechanic and had received her professional mechanic's license. She stayed in Resembool, opening a large workshop on the base floor.

Pinako left Resembool for Rush Valley to broaden Rockbell Automail and Prosthetic's horizon. It had been the old woman's decision to leave, much to Winry's disdain. She'd been on her own now for two weeks, which in itself wasn't as bad as it sounded. Her grandmother called every week or so from the bustling auto-mail shop to tell her of the many people who asked for and about Winry. Just a few days ago, a man with black hair had come in asking for her, but Pinako didn't recognize him at first.

Winry walked over to the stove that was covered in pots. She was cooking herself hers, Ed's and Al's favorite dinner: beef stew, and for dessert she was baking apple pie. Something about today made her feel like cooking all of their favorite foods, and so she did.

Suddenly, the telephone rang, and Winry grumbled about people calling her at dinner time. She answered the phone in her cheery greeting, "Rockbell Prosthetic Outfitters, this is Winry!"

"_Uh, yeah. Hi, Miss Rockbell. I'm a local in Rush Valley and I was recommended to come to your workshop for repairs?"_

Winry stared at the receiver; hadn't she heard that voice somewhere in the past few weeks? She said steadily, "Hm. Yes, I see. What can I do for you, Mister?" The man on the other line seemed to be shaking, and she looked outside to see it had started to rain miserably on the dirt road. She said sternly, "Where are you? I'll pick you up and we can discuss which model you'd like."

"_Mm."_ The man said, _"Do you mind if my partner comes with me? He's sort of my voice of reason..."_ Winry smiled, and told him it was no problem. She told him to stay put, and that she would be the one in the white coat and orange scarf, and she hung up the phone. Immediately, she threw the articles of cloth around her and ran out the door.

The dirt road was slippery and muddy, something Winry didn't particularly like about the countryside. Leaving was never an option, however, because even if, in the back of her mind, she _knew_ Ed and Al would never make it home again, if they could they'd come here first. Her mind rushed through the storm that not only was hitting her face but in her head as well, and she finally practically slid down to the train station.

She ran onto the platform and looked around. Two men approached her; one was short with sandy brown hair and steel eyes, was wearing a blue button-up with a gray overcoat and black suit pants. His buddy, two inches taller, had medium-short black hair and green eyes that seemed off-center to Winry. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought the man's eyes were a piercing hazel-gold. She called to them in the rain, "Let's head to my house so you can dry off. I have extra clothes you can wear and two beds if you'd like."

The three marched to the Rockbell residence in silence.

It had been a long time since Winry had served three bowls of stew. It was good to feel she was useful, however, when the two men marched in to the heat of the kitchen and sat at separate ends of the dining table.

Winry handed each man their stew, but froze when she reached the black haired man. Now, his hair was a smooth brown color; um, was she feeling okay? She wanted to make her illness known, so she asked, "Um, I hate to be nosey, but wasn't your hair black a second ago?"

The two men looked at each other, and a smile graced over the older man's face. His eyes were playful, alert, and looked so familiar to her. He stood up and grabbed Winry's hand softly, tugging her into the bathroom - _which she never told him about… _-. He ran the water of the tub, making her raise a sunshine yellow brow at him, and he massaged his hair. Suddenly, brown transformed to sandy brown, and then blond, and then brilliant gold.

Winry gasped and stepped away.

"Winry," the man said, shaking his head and walking over to the sink. He looked in the mirror and, cautiously and carefully, he used his finger to slide green contacts from his eyes. He looked at her again, this time the face burning into her expression like a wildfire and she was the harmless forest.

"You… You came back!" she leaped into his arms, squeezing him hard as tears squeezed out of her eyes and onto his cloth-covered chest. He chuckled, more like a full-out hardy laugh, and said in his own happiness,

"Of course I did. I promised you a wedding, and dammit you're gunna get one!"

Edward. _Her_ Edward came back, from that dreaded place she'd returned from. It wasn't a dream… it was real, and everything that happened truly did. She felt him scrounge in his pocket and slide something onto her ring-finger. She looked down to see the same diamond Ed had gotten for her, and she looked up at him. Before she could think of something to say, her face contorted and scrunched together, and she kissed him hard on the lips.

He was _never_ going to leave her again. She was _never_ going to lose faith again.

And Amestris was _never_ going to pay for the damage these two hot-heads would most likely bring upon it.

* * *

_You guys... this story is FINALLY over... and I really really REALLY want to know what you thought of it._

_Now, I had left the ending hanging on purpose, because in the future I hope to make a sequel. It's started, but not complete and I don't want to have to have you all waiting like you are on Home Is Where the Heart Is (which is a baby born of boredom and, although everyone loves it so, may be either discontinued. Or put up for adoption. Or taken down, rewritten, and tried again. Please help me figure it out.)_

_I apologize for the lateness; it's been a busy week, and I just got the document. I have sincere thanks for my beta reader _**Half-Hearted Shadow **_and hope to finish other works soon. I might need a bit of a break, however, so bear with me, alright? _

_~Cookie_


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